Percy Jackson's Senior Year
by NSwriting
Summary: As Percy enters his senior year of high school, he'll face new challenges - girls, sports, SATs, and the odd monster or two. POV is shared between Percy and Annabeth. Chapters are generally 5 pages each, posting consistently. Trying my best to stay away from too many cliches. Enjoy! Do not own the cover photo, found it on Google!
1. I Receive Some Awesome Gifts (Part 1)

Chapter 1 – Annabeth's Birthday Party (Part One)

It was another peaceful night at Camp Half-Blood. The battle against Gaea had only just been won, and the camp displayed remnants of the demigods fight with the Earth Mother. Destroyed onagers littered the ground outside camp, and scorch marks left long patches of burned grass, like scars. The Roman encampment, perfectly constructed, took up a large portion of the valley. In the woods, the sounds of life emitted from the darkness. Bird calls, insects buzzing and the occasional roar of an unknown monster disrupted the otherwise quiet night.

Well, that and the sound of the ocean lapping quietly against the shores of the beach. Percy had asked for her to take a walk just before dinner, and she had (of course) agreed. After losing him for eight months, then literally struggling through hell together, peaceful quality time was all Annabeth asked for.

Percy's sea-green eyes matched the surf perfectly today, as per usual. He seemed so at home in the sand, like he was just another part of the landscape. If Annabeth had to guess, she would say that this was her boyfriend's metaphorical 'happy place.'

She slowed to a halt, pausing just to take everything in. Since returning from Tartarus, she'd been able to just stop and appreciate moments as they happened. Percy turned after she stopped. He had rolled his jeans up to his ankles, barefoot in the dunes. He looked at her with an inquisitive smile on his face.

"Everything ok?" he asked her.

"Everything is perfect," she replied, returning the smile. She started down the beach, but Percy didn't move. He had that annoying little half smile on his face.

"You know," he said, wrapping his arms around her, "I realized something yesterday. It's pretty important."

Annabeth interrupted him before he could continue. "You smell like Nereus?" she teased. Percy laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. It draped his black hair down over his eyes, making him look even more unkempt. She loved it.

"Oh my gods, you weren't even _there,_ " Percy joked, adopting a nasally voice.

"I didn't have to. I see you every day, I can imagine how bad it was." Annabeth could see her prodding was getting to him. He had a glint in his eye.

"Oh _really?_ So you think I need a shower, huh? Well in that case…" He turned towards the ocean and closed his eyes. But Annabeth knew exactly what he planned to do. As soon as he turned away, she sprinted up the beach. She felt a small splash against the back of her calves, but managed to escape the bulk of the dousing.

Percy opened his eyes and turned, laughing, toward where she'd been standing. "How do you like...wait…Annabeth…?" He noticed her standing about 15 feet away. He gasped playfully, as if deeply insulted, and reverted to back to his offended accent. "You! I am _shocked!_ After all I've done!"

Annabeth giggling, replied: "What have you ever done for me, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy rolled his eyes, reverting back to his typical sarcastic tone. "Oh geez, not sure. Saved the world once or twice, maybe?"

"With _my_ help," Annabeth responded before he could even finish his sentence. "I was there too, or did you forget?"

Percy jokingly adopted the posture of the famous 'Thinking Man' statue. "Hmm...what about all those times I saved your life? Does that count for nothing?"

"Negated by the fact that I've saved your life just as often," I countered.

"Touché. Well then, I guess this party of yours that I planned tonight must be the only thing!" Percy's huge smile played across his face from ear to ear.

My jaw dropped. Suddenly, hundreds, and I mean hundreds of demigods spilled out onto the beach, hidden behind the dunes. I looked at Percy, who couldn't contain his excitement.

"It's not even my birthday!" she called over the cheering of the Roman/Greek cacophony. He laughed in response.

"You turned 17 in Tartarus! How was that for a birthday vacation?"

She simply stood, stunned, as the masses of orange and purple crowded around her. Someone picked her up, and the mob of demigods carried her back to the dining pavilion for dinner. She only caught glimpses of Percy - high-fiving Jason and Frank, hugging Hazel and Piper, and finally waiting for her with Chiron. Their counsellor turned, said something to Percy, then they turned and allowed themselves to be swept by the crowd into the pavilion.

The night was a blur for Annabeth. So many people came up to her, wishing her a happy (belated) birthday. Percy occasionally smiled at her from across the way, but for the most part he left her alone. She received some incredible gifts, best of all from Piper and Hazel. Together, the two had got her this elegant pen, with her name engraved.

"It's enchanted to never run out of ink," Piper said. "But it has a few other useful functions." Annabeth looked at her quizzically.

"Uncap it," Hazel instructed. Annabeth suddenly realized where this was going.

"Oh. My. Gods. You two did not-"

"Just uncap it!" Hazel urged again.

As Annabeth removed the cap, the pen grew larger in her palm, forming into a celestial bronze knife. It looked exactly like-

"Luke's knife," Piper said, seeming to read her mind. "We knew it was precious to you, and that we can never replace it, but…"

"...Sometimes you can't just cart around a giant bonesword!" Hazel finished. The three of them laughed. "It's hard to accessorize around, after all," Hazel continued. "A knife...that goes with anything. Any I think the pen is a perfect match for you." Annabeth couldn't believe she had such incredible friends.

"There's something else," Piper said. "I almost forgot." This was crazy. It was already the best gift ever, and there was _more?_

"If you look here," Hazel said, "there's a little button you can press." She pointed to a small round area on the pen, close to the top. "Press it," she instructed.

Annabeth did, but nothing seemed to happen. No, wait, she had moved the pen slightly, and it left a trail of golden dust particles in its wake, emitting from the point. It reminded her of sparklers on the 4th of July, the ones you could use to write your name with. Only in this case, the golden trail stayed long after Annabeth continued to move her hand. She was amazed.

"So many...possibilities…" she stammered out. "I could use it to design buildings in 3D! Or draw battle plans without a map!" She realized she was talking to herself while her friends looked on, beaming. Unable to contain her happiness, she threw her arms around the two of them. "Best...friends...ever" she managed to say.

"One more thing," Hazel said with a laugh. "Click the button twice, the pen goes on 'vacuum mode.' Or at least that's what I call it. Point the tip at the gold dust and it will erase by sort of sucking it out of the air. I don't quite get how it works to be honest. Click three times, and it'll erase anything you've drawn in the last half hour.

Annabeth was overwhelmed. She was _itching_ to try this thing out, though she wasn't really sure in what form yet. Piper must have been able to tell. "My first suggestion would be to skewer that scoundrel coming towards us."

She looked up to see Percy strolling up to the trio. "Hey! Look at this," she exclaimed. "It's so cool, so many different uses!" She stopped when she realized Percy was laughing uncontrollably.

"Hold on everybody!" he yelled loudly. "Annabeth's got a new pen! Stop the party!" He continued laughing. "Once a nerd, always a nerd, eh Wise girl? My gift-" he was forced to stop by the celestial bronze blade at his exposed throat.

"What were you saying about your gift? That it's better? I bet you bought me what, a t-shirt?" Piper and Hazel roared with with joyous laughter behind her. Clearly, her guess had hit the mark. Without lowering her knife, she looked Percy dead in the eye. "Really? You _actually_ bought me a t-shirt?"

Her boyfriend shot the girls a dirty look. "Thanks for ruining the _surprise,_ girls," he said to them. Annabeth lowered her knife and Percy straightened indignantly. "And for the record, I didn't get you a _shirt,"_ he said with distaste. "You'll see."

Chiron had watched the entire scene play out with a small smile. "Alright campers, I think it is time we retire," he announced. His dismissal was met with groans.

"C'mon Chiron!" Connor Stoll piped up. "Everybody's having so much fun!" The centaur paused to reconsider, but shook his head.

"No, I think it is best if everyone turn in for the night." His decision was met with more groans and protests.

"Just a little longer!"

"It's not even that late!"

"Annabeth hasn't even gotten all her gifts yet!"

It looked like Chiron might actually have to _order_ everyone to turn in, which would have been pretty bad for morale. Just then, Reyna called for silence.

"Chiron, you would not presume to tell _my_ legionnaires when to bed down, would you? After all, that is my decision, as praetor." Chiron appeared troubled, but he shook his head.

"Fair enough, Reyna. I have no control over you or anyone from Camp Jupiter."

"That is correct," she continued. "And since I determine when my legion sleeps, that means our camp may be having _quite_ the party tonight. If anyone should happen to wander in, well...what is the mortal saying? The more, the merrier? And if those demigods happened to be Greek...well I have no right to tell them to leave. Since they are in _my_ encampment, on Roman soil, then they become my humble guests. I couldn't ask them to leave." She and Chiron shared a look.

With a roll of his eyes and a wave of his hand, Chiron directed them towards the camp. "Go," he said. "Reyna has outmaneuvered me in a diplomatic technicality. Not very Roman of her, but all the same...enjoy tonight." This change of heart was met with a cheer.

"The party has been officially moved to the Roman camp!" Reyna announced. Annabeth looked over at Percy, and he smiled as everyone began to file out of the pavilion.

"Be right back," he said. "I gotta go grab your gift. Meet you there."


	2. I Receive Some Awesome Gifts (Part 2)

_**Greetings from the author! I just wanted to apologize for writing my chapters a tad out of order. I realized there was important stuff that had to happen prior to the events of Chapter 3 for the story to work chronologically. There will only be one more chapter like this, it's going to cover the capture-the-flag game mentioned in "I Plan My Entire Life," along with a few other things. I allowed myself one or two clichés this chapter, but hopefully it isn't too corny. Hope everyone is enjoying!**_

Chapter 2 - Annabeth's Birthday (Part 2)

So Annabeth made her way to the party with Piper and Hazel by her side. The Romans collapsed their tents and created a huge bonfire right in the centre of the encampment. With all the teenagers happily partying the night away, Annabeth thought that this would be how mortal teens lived all the time. The prospect scared her half out of her wits.

Percy eventually found her, dancing with Nico as Will Solace pumped EDM out of some giant speakers. Where he got those was an absolute mystery to Annabeth, but they were definitely loud enough. She wasn't exactly the 'rave girl' type, but it was nice to cut loose and dance for once. Well, she wouldn't call it dancing. She was an _awful_ dancer.

That's how he found her, shaking out some awkward dance moves with Nico in the middle of the crowd. He carried a large box wrapped in silvery-grey wrapping paper. They made their way out of the thicket of bodies.

"Up here," Percy said, motioning to a guard tower. They both climbed the ladder to the observation post. It offered a beautiful view of the camp, and a comical bird's eye perspective on some truly _horrendous_ dancing.

I turned to see Percy, arms extended, with the box held in his hands. "Happy belated birthday, Wise Girl," he said. "Sorry your actual birthday was so crummy. I took the box from him and smiled.

A very appropriate response popped into my head. "It wasn't that bad. As long as we're together, right?" He beamed at me, as his eyes reflected the light of the fire. The orange/green colours made a dazzling combination.

We both took a seat on the floor as I shredded the wrapping off the box. Then I noticed the card that had been stuck to the top, to be opened first. I paused, holding it in my hands.

"Meh, it can wait," I said indifferently. The truth was, I was eager to read it, but wanted to save it for last. Still, I would have given anything to have a camera on hand to capture Percy's expression. It was _priceless,_ in more than one way.

The first item, sitting on the top, was a Superman t-shirt. I made a painful grunt in the back of her throat. Of course, it _had_ to be Superman. "What's wrong? Percy asked. He had a terrified look on his face. "It's a small! The lady _told_ me it's a small! I swear, if she-"

"No, Seaweed Brain," I said laughing. "I'm just more of a Batman person." He looked at her, confused, and blinked multiple times, as if trying to wrap his head around an abstract concept.

"Why?" he finally asked. "Superman is awesome. He can do anything."

"Exactly, Percy," I replied with a sigh. "Batman is only human, but uses his superior intellect to outwit his opponents."

Her boyfriend groaned. "Typical Athena kid," he muttered. "Don't pick the all-powerful alien, pick the guy who swings around on a grappling hook and-"

"Funny," I interrupted. "I would have taken you for an Aquaman-type person."

"Wow, good one Wise Girl! I haven't heard _that one before!"_ He quieted, and seemed to realize how ridiculous the conversation was. "Ok, I see where this is going. We can finish this conversation later _._ Finish opening your gifts."

I reached back into the box. The second gift was a book, entitled "Alexander the Great's Most Skillful Victories." Ouh, I was anxious to read this. Alexander was the greatest Greek (well technically Macedonian) general ever to command. His strategies were legendary, influencing tactics right into the modern age. I thanked Percy, and he pulled out the next gift.

"These next gifts are the main thing, and they're kind of a package deal," he explained. "First, these," he began as he pulled out a set of matching earrings. They were shaped like tiny owls, but each held a trident firmly in its claws. I instantly understood the metaphor. "They're to show that you've-"

"Got a grip on you, I know," I cut in. Percy looked almost genuinely hurt.

"I've been waiting to use that lame joke for _weeks,"_ he said. "Anyways, the next thing are these two charm bracelets. The design is sort of the same idea." He handed her a celestial bronze band that fit comfortably on my wrist. There was a trident symbol etched horizontally, filled with tiny emeralds. The other band displayed the face of an owl, with it's wings spread outward horizontally. It's eyes were rubies. I watched as Percy slid it onto his own wrist.

"Percy…." I said quietly, "these are beautiful. And really thoughtful. Thank you so much."

He pulled out the last gift. It had it's own box, and must have been relatively heavy, as Percy grunted with the effort of removing it. As it emerged from the box, I couldn't help but smile and blush slightly. It was a fountain, carved to resemble a pile of stones, which gradually narrowed and curled upwards, forming an olive tree.

"After we were in Athens," Percy said, "I...got some inspiration. It can be used to send Iris-messages, but it also has a few other useful tricks. Actually, so do the earrings and the bracelets. I'll let you try and figure them out for yourself."

" _Well_ ," I think to myself, " _this boy certainly knows you well enough to buy you some awesome presents. Except that Superman garbage. Honestly, who even likes that guy?_ " I notice Percy's card, still unopened. I pick it up and our eyes meet. "I don't even know why I'm reading this," I say sarcastically. "Really a huge waste of my time. I should be reading this." I motion to the Alexander book.

Percy laughs. "Shut up and open the card, Wise Girl. I spent too much time thinking about what to put on that thing for you to ignore it." So I open it, but take my sweet old time. I want to revel in his torturous anticipation. I pull it out, and have to laugh at the cover. Thank the gods it wasn't some corny "I love you so much you're my whole world omg bbg you and me forever, totes" type thing.

It was homemade, and had a picture of Percy on the front cover. It was one of those selfies you take that are just _gloriously_ awful. He had both eyes crossed, nostrils flared, and about 4.5 chins. It was taken from above him, so you could see his attempt to give himself a hefty midsection. It didn't work. Damn kid's six pack was so perfect looked good even when he was trying to look bad. The writing read in all caps: "HAPPPYYYY BURFFFFDAYYYYYY GURL." I burst out laughing. This kid is such an idiot, and I love it.

As I open the card, my laughter evaporates into a simple smile. Percy has hand written a lengthy message inside, full of sappy garbage. What a loser. It read:

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _You're turning 17 today - well actually you turned 17 a while ago because, ya know, Tartarus. Anyways, I've struggled to think of what to put in this thing for a while now, it's taken up an afternoon I could have spent, like,_ swimming, _dude. Finally I just decided to tell you how I'm feeling, because I honestly don't think we get the chance nearly as much as we should. Here goes._

 _Do you remember when I bathed in the Styx? Yea, that little incident there? When we only had Kronos' invasion to worry about? Oh, those were the days, eh? Well...Nico told me before I went in that people see things when they take that swim. Apparently it's their anchor to the mortal world, or some philosophical shit like that. I dunno man, I'm not Plato. Anyways, when I was in there, I did have one of those visions. It was you. I had fallen into the canoe lake, and you were pulling me out, calling me an idiot or something like that._

 _I never really had friends as a kid. You and Grover were the first ones who didn't run off on me (and as much as I love Grover, that GOATee just doesn't do it for me). But I met you, and we've been through so much together. You're my best friend, and I know I can trust you with anything. More than that, you're the smartest, kindest, person I know, and I totally don't deserve you. But thanks for always being there for me, no matter what. No matter how much I drive you crazy. With love,_

 _Percy._

 _P.S. Don't you dare show this to anyone or you might find yourself wet a lot more often. Oh geez that was not what I meant…..well what the hell, as long as I'm being honest I'm totally down for that too. Kbye._

I looked up. Percy was hunched, sitting in a corner, with his knees drawn up to his chest. I've never seen him that nervous before. He raises his eyes and notices I've finished reading.

"You weren't kidding?" I ask, holding up the card.

"Of course not," he mutters. "I just….wanted you to know."

I just smile. "Come here," I say to him. He shifts over, and we sit on the inside edge of the observation post, watching all the shenanigans taking place below us. I decide that I like Percy's romantic side, and that I'm going to keep it all to myself. Better it remain between the two of us. Otherwise, the other girls might come to their sense and realize Percy's a real catch. Get it, catch? 'Caus fish? Ok, I'm done now.

"Thank you for telling me about that. About the Styx," I said. We share a smile, then sit like that all night, watching the party, happy in each other's presence. We talked, but I don't even remember what the conversation was about.


	3. I Try to Out-Think the Thinker (Part 1)

_**Hello everybody! This is going to be the first part of a chapter about the CTF game mentioned in other parts of the book. A few quick notes: if you're a fan of Game of Thrones and are not caught up on the show, read not further! Spoilers ahead. Also, I'm including a link below of a diagram to a historical battle described in this chapter. It might help some people visualize what I'm talking about. It's not 100% necessary but I thought I'd include it anyway. Part 2 will be out tomorrow, and then I'll be able to continue the story line in a more linear fashion. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!**_

 _ **.**_

Chapter 3 - I Try to Out-Think the Thinker (Capture the Flag Part 1)

 _ **Percy POV**_

The day everyone anticipated for so long had finally arrived. The first capture-the-flag game since the war with Gaea was announced; finally, things at camp could start returning to normal. Normally me and Annabeth would be working together, but a few days back she'd teased me about only being the muscle in our 'operation.' Muscle, huh? I'll show her.

Thankfully, I knew my girl pretty well by now. If I couldn't beat her after five years of quests and battles, well...I'd have to take a serious step back and rethink. But I was confident I'd be able to play on her expectations.

My inspiration had ironically come from the latest episode of _Game of Thrones_. Weird, I know, but stick with me. Me and Annabeth both love it, so we watch it together on her laptop...yea, we watch it on one of those video hosting sites. Who the hell has money for an HBO subscription? SPOILER ALERT Episode 9 featured Jon Snow facing off against the Boltons, and the Starks win the day when Sansa enlists Baelish's help (I'm a huge Stark fan, so many feels were felt that day).

While we watched the episode, Annabeth explained to me how the battle tactics Ramsay Bolton uses were actually modeled after those used against the Romans at Cannae by Hannibal, a general from the ancient civilization of Carthage. Actually, Annabeth met Hannibal's father, Hasdrubal, on Ithaca this summer. Technically it was his angry spirit, but same difference right?

Annabeth's eyes shone with admiration as she described how Hannibal used his enemy's overconfidence against them. He placed his weakest troops at the center, and the Romans, seeing an easy victory, attacked those troops, thinking they could break Hannibal's army into two groups and then surround them. Instead, the opposite happened. Hannibal ordered his center troops into a controlled retreated, leading the effort from close by. The Romans, thinking the Carthaginians were running away like cowards, pursued.

But Hannibal's troops on the left and right (his best men) didn't move. So, the Romans funnelled in and were quickly surrounded. The battle turned into a slaughter, with almost 100,000 Romans packed together, unable to defend themselves thanks to the lack of space. Luckily, I found it interesting enough to listen, thank the gods, because it was critical for my idea to beat Annabeth. She did warn me never to mention Hannibal to Jason or Reyna, though. Apparently Romans are still salty.

While she would never be stupid enough to fall for the same trap I knew I could still manipulate her _hubris_ to win the game. I'd need the help of the Ares cabin, though. Ugh, Clarisse. And the Hecate campers as well. They'd be critical.

 _ **\- LINE BREAK -**_

First, I met with the Hecate cabin. They were the most important, so I knew I couldn't get tied up in commitments with Clarisse. Hecate only had a few demigods in her affairs with mortals, but they were powerful. I knew Annabeth would be pushing for an alliance as well. When I knocked on the cabin door, I saw two girls sitting together, talking intently. The one nearest to me turned, and I groaned. Of _course_ Annabeth had gotten here first.

She stood, staring at me. "Why hello there _Perseus,_ me and Lou Ellen were just talking about capture-the-flag this Thursday. Should be fun, huh?" I rolled my eyes at the fact that she had tried to use my full name to get under my skin. She was really taking this seriously. But two could play at that game.

"Oh, really? I thought you'd be trying to figure out how that bracelet works. I mean, I just _really_ thought you'd have it figured out by now, but-"

"OK, I should go," Annabeth snapped quickly. I had to smile. My birthday gift was frustrating her. Each object had a unique ability, and she'd figured out the first two pretty easily. The earrings grew and expanded into a Greek helmet when you rubbed the owl's heads. The helmet was shaped like the face of her mother's sacred animal, with the eye holes designed to look larger than they were. It was pretty scary, actually. The middle section came down to cover her face, forming a beak shape, with the cheeks coming in to protect the face.

I had, of course, made sure to leave a personal touch when I had it made. Down the middle, a trident ran along the top of her helmet, starting where the plume stuck out, and ending with the tips pointing downward, where the nose guard was connected with the rest of the armour. Just so all those punk ass mosnters knew that if they hurt her, they'd have me to deal with.

The fountain was also a combination of protection, good looks, and the whole Poseidon-Athena combo. When you pressed a button on the bottom, the side popped open. Inside, a small compartment held a device, to be worn on the wrist. It was a calculator, like the one Dwight wears on _The Office._ It was super nerdy, which is how I knew Annabeth would love it. What a goober. When you pressed the small 𝚫 button, the device expanded into a shield. On the front, an imposing owl's gaze was designed to scare off enemies. Behind the animal, a pair of tridents crossed into an X. I'm not going to lie, I borrowed ideas - the shield Tyson gave me, and the powers from Thalia's version of Aegis. I still thought it made a pretty kickass gift, especially because it made Annabeth look like some weird ancient Greek pirate.

Finally, the charm bracelet expanded into a bracer; a type of armour that protected your forearms. Again, totally stole the idea from Iron Man. When activated, it had an expanded green trident running down the side. Pretty cool, right? But it had another element. Annabeth had marched up to me proudly, telling me she'd solved everything. When I corrected her, I received a sour expression. That was three days ago - I haven't seen her since.

Returning to reality, I watched Annabeth leave. She smiled politely at Lou Ellen and then threw me her best stink eye. Her expression said " _I've just made a business pitch. Mess it up and you'll be sleeping on the couch for a month."_

"You guys are adorable," Lou Ellen said, watching Annabeth go. "Total power couple."

I wanted to say "Wait, _what?_ How do you get _adorable_ from that? You girls are nuts." But, seeing as how I was supposed to be diplomatic, I just chuckled, shaking my head, and settled for a "she's pretty awesome."

After a brief moment of silence, she gives me a look. "I know why you're here, Percy. Just get on with it."

"Can I sit?" I ask politely. She nods, so I take a seat on the one of the bunk beds. "I'll be straight with you, I want you on my team." I lead with a pleasant smile.

 _ **\- LINE BREAK -**_

I stride over to the armoury to talk with Clarisse. For someone who seemed pretty nice, Lou drove a hard bargain. She'd demanded the best activity slots for her cabin, lasting the rest of the summer. Personally, I didn't really care when I did stuff, but I'd have preferred not to get up at 8am every morning for arts and crafts.

When I looked for Clarisse in her cabin, one of her younger sisters yelled at me for interrupting her Guns' and Roses jam session. After asking where Clarisse was, I had a sandal thrown at me. How I love Cabin Five, the most pleasant group of demigods at camp! Screw those kids, so obnoxious. Lately, when Clarisse wasn't in her cabin, she was typically in the armoury, unless she was at an activity. I decided to start my search there.

When I walked in, I heard loud banging from the back room, along with quite a bit of yelling. After passing through the shop, I watched, laughing, as Clarisse and Harley tinkered with a piece of bronze machinery, which looked suspiciously like an engine. It was hanging from the ceiling from long chains, and they seemed to be arguing over how to fix it.

"No, you idiot!" Harley yelled. "If we don't fix the piston before we try to-"

"The issue isn't _with_ the pistons! The damn thing keeps overheating," Clarisse growled. "If you're just too _little_ to see that-" She was interrupted by Harley whipping a wrench at her. Clarisse ducked, which left it flinging towards me. It smashed against the doorframe, about a foot from my head. Harley's facial expression quickly turned apologetic.

"P-P-P-Percy, oh my gods I'm so sorry, are you-"

"What the hell are _you_ doing here, Jackson?" Clarisse interrupted roughly.

"Actually, Clarisse, I was hoping to talk to you," I said, chuckling to myself. "I promise I come in peace. Can you hold off on your Ares instincts for like 9.2 seconds while I explain?"

She gave me a skeptical look in response. "Make it quick, punk, I've got stuff to work on." I lead her outside to talk, as I wasn't sure I'd trust Harley to keep the contents of our conversation a secret.

 _ **\- LINE BREAK -**_

 _ **"**_ Un-fuckin'-believable!" I exclaim to myself in frustration, viciously throwing open my cabin door. I'd been muttering every curse word in my vocabulary on my way back from the talk with Clarisse. She'd been _impossible_ to negotiate with, demanding everything from premium activity slots to my crowning her with the laurels after the battle. Worse than that, she'd insulted me at just about every opportunity. Normally, I'd tell Clarisse to shove it where Apollo don't shine, but I needed her. No one else had a larger or tougher cabin, except maybe Hephaestus, but they'd already sided with Annabeth. So I ended up wasting almost all my bargaining chips on Ares. _UGH_ were they ever annoying.

I was so busy thinking about how stupid Clarisse could be, that I didn't even notice Annabeth laying on my bed until I nearly sat on her. I stopped short, confused.

"What are you….hi?" She had a huge smile on her face, and she was leaning forward, as if she were dying to tell me something. She sat up when she noticed I'm distracted by something.

An expression comes over her face, I've never seen it before. If I had to describe it, I'd say it was almost...mischievous? A grin spreads across her face. She grabs my arm and seats me next to her on the bed.

"Oh," she says in a pouty voice, "you look upset." Ok, really unlike Annabeth, I'm really confused. We're still holding hands, but with her opposite she runs a finger gently up and down my arm.

"Uh...yea…" I stutter. It's pretty much all I can muster, as she's pretty distracting. Those beautiful grey eyes of hers are wide-open, and they're moving slowly up and down… "Hey, Annabeth," I say, caressing her chin. "My eyes are up here kiddo."

"Right, sorry," she says with a hint of a giggle. But when I let go of her face, she continues. Her free hand is moving now, to the inside of my knee. There's a lot of thoughts running through my head I'd rather not share.

When I try to get her attention, my words jumble together, as if I'm drunk. "What'reoudoing?" And my voice just cracked, shit. Good one Jackson. Is this seriously happening right now?

She smiles at me seductively. Now she's massaging my shoulders, the small of my back, my chest. "I just want you to know that you can always talk to me about _anything._ Your stress..your trouble…Tell me all about what's bugging you."

"Just Clarisse," I sigh. "She was pretty tough, just now."

"Uh-huh," Annabeth responds. "And what exactly was that all about?" She hasn't stopped massaging me, though she's moved considerably farther down my torso.

"I was trying to get her on my t-" I stop myself and jump off the bed, standing. I've been an _idiot._ When I look at Annabeth, shocked by this betrayal, she sits back and laughs. "You-you-you-"

"My mother's the goddess of strategy," she says, still laughing. "I'm playing the cards I've been dealt."

"So, so what?" I demand. "You decide to come in here...and...and do something so crazy, all to win some stupid game?"

"Percy," she says, striding past me. She stops at the door and turns, momentarily pausing her chuckling. "Who said this had anything to do with capture-the-flag?"


	4. I Try to Out-Think the Thinker (Part 2)

I Try to Out-Think the Thinker

 _ **Percy POV**_

Three days later and I'm still recovering from Annabeth's stunt in my cabin. She's frickin' crazy. Like honestly, who does something like that? If it'd went on any longer I'd be sprinting to the Hermes cabin about getting some counterfeit condoms from the Stoll brothers.

Thankfully, I'd barely had to see Annabeth in the past few days as we were both so busy trying to get cabins on our side. Although if I'm to be honest, it was a blessing and a curse. As crazy as my girlfriend could be, I missed her.

In any case, it would be over after tonight. Capture-the-flag had finally arrived, and I was confident we'd win. On my team, I had Hecate, Ares, Apollo, Hades, Aphrodite, and Iris. It was a really powerful squad, particularly for the plan I had in mind. Annabeth's team, while a bit bigger, consisted mainly of the Athena, Hephaestus, Demeter, and Hermes cabins. She also had Zeus, Dionysus, Hypnos, Nemesis, Nike, Hebe, and Tyche on her alliance, but they didn't have many campers in them - nothing we couldn't handle if all went to plan.

After dinner, Chiron waved his hands, and the usual assortment of Greek weaponry appeared on the tables. I peered across the pavilion, and was pleased to see Annabeth gearing up with my birthday gifts, along with her drakon-bone sword. She looked absolutely stunning. Stunningly terrifying, but still.

She caught me staring at her, and walked over to where I was putting on my armour. "Ready to get your ass kicked, Seaweed Brain?"

I couldn't believe her. So obnoxious. "Oh always, Wise Girl," I responded. "I've literally had the shit kicked out of me for the past five years by just about every magical entity, so you really don't scare me. You can't even keep that ego of yours under control." I chuckled as I said, "This is the first time we're going to be on different teams. Should be interesting."

"Bro, same!" I turn to see Jason, his arm around Piper, both of them fully equipped. I still couldn't believe I'd managed to get Piper on my team. I think it had more to do with a certain joke Jason made about the usefulness of perfumein a fight.

"You know, the last time I played in one of these games with a child of Zeus... things got pretty _shocking._ But I'm _amped_ for another chance. I just hope losing doesn't _hertz-"_

"Ok, stop," Piper says, laughing. "Your puns are re-volt-ing." Now we're both doubled over, but Jason interrupts.

"Yea, I heard the story. I'm _currently_ pretty scared you're gonna throw the entire creek at me tonight."

Me and Piper both stop laughing and stare at him. "No, you ruined it," Piper says.

"Leave it to a Grace, to mess up a perfectly good string of puns," I sigh.

Jason starts to protest, but is cut off by Annabeth's orders. "Enough fraternizing with the enemy, Grace! Red team! Fall in!" She looks at me with an expression of pure confidence, and winks as she jogs off with her teammates.

 _ **LINE BREAK -**_

 _ **Annabeth POV**_

I crouch next to Malcolm and Jason as we hide, just before the creekbed, to scout the enemy defences. It's the Ares cabin, led by Percy and Nico - all of their best soldiers lumped together in one place. The Apollo, Aphrodite, Hecate and Iris cabins are unaccounted for, but they're not exactly the main threat to our success in this game.

"What are you thinking?" Malcolm whispers to me.

"I'm thinking," I say with a satisfied smile, "that my boyfriend is much smarter than I give him credit for. Rather than try some trick, he's put his best on the defence, ready for us. He's even there himself. I bet he thinks he can repel our attack, then worry about getting the flag, or perhaps a flank with the Aphrodite kids. In summary, he's too scared that I have some strategic trick to go on the offensive."

"So...what do we do?" Jason asks.

I smile. "We oblige him. If he wants a fight, we'll give him one. Athena and Hephaestus together should be able to beat this group, with some help from the minor cabins. Then we leave Hermes and Demeter on defence at the First. They should be more than enough to hold off anything Percy throws at our back lines. Right?" I look at Malcolm. I always get the opinion of a lieutenant, just in case I miss anything. But this is a good plan, and he knows it, so I receive a nod in response. "Then let's do it," I say with determination.

 _ **LINE BREAK -**_

 _ **Percy POV**_

"Ok, so everyone knows the plan, right?" I look around at the campers grouped in front of me, and they look almost _bored,_ which really doesn't help my nerves.

" _Yes,"_ Nico replies with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. "Your incredible plan will work, we get it. We've only been over it about a million times."

" _And_ it means I get to keep an eye on grump-a-lump here," Will Solace chimes in. "That's a huge plus for me." Nico simply rolls his eyes once again, after which Will puts him in a headlock and ruffles his hair.

"Well...in that case, Lou?" I motion to the Hecate cabin, who begin to quite literally work their magic. Soon, I'm faced with a second group of demigods that look exactly like the other half. As I look at where Piper was standing, I see myself looking back, armour and all. The magic would work even better on Annabeth, as I had explained to Lou Ellen. She would never doubt the illusions, because it is _exactly_ what she expected to see. In her pride, she would think I was playing on the defensive, too scared of her skills in strategy to try anything. But she wasn't the only one who could play head games.

"Ok, Nico, you're in charge at the creekbed. Like I said, hold them off here as long as you can. Will, the Apollo cabin has those special arrows we talked about? The ones with the nets?"

"Heck yea boy!" I get in response. "We'll be able to pin 'em down here so you guys can run rampant back there." I can't help but smile, thinking about how this little ball of energy was a _perfect_ match for Nico.

So that was my plan. Draw Annabeth in, and then trap her best troops on this side of the creek, buying time for me and the Ares cabin to get around the flanks and grab the flag. Not exactly like Cannae, but close enough- playing on what your enemy wants to see.

 _ **LINE BREAK -**_

 _ **Annabeth POV**_

As I readied everyone for the attack, I paused to study the Ares campers one last time. Nico, Percy, and Will Solace were talking while they waited. But Percy was acting really weird. He kept fiddling with his armour, as if he wasn't used to wearing it. From time to time, he would swing Riptide in the air, as if he were trying to get accustomed to it. He'd told me a million times how comfortable the blade felt in his hands.

I stared at his gift, the arm bracer. The whole set was incredible. It fit me perfectly, and was designed so that I could easily take it on quests with me. I'd just recently figured the thing out. After the meeting with Lou Ellen the other day, I'd been thinking about when Percy and I fell into Tartarus this summer. I had looked up at him and said " _as long as we're together,"_ after he insisted on following me into the pit.

I just thought that it was pretty ironic, that phrase, considering our current contest. Staring at the gift, I'd muttered something like "together...yea, right" with a chuckle. But as soon as I said the first word, the trident had popped up from the armour. It sort of looked like an old rooftop antenna, atop a tiny compass inside. It was pointing in a very peculiar angle, but after investigating further, I realized the trident would move in a circle, so that it was always pointing to the same location. Initially, I thought it might be north, but when I went outside I realized the trident's point lined up exactly with the Hecate cabin.

As I watched, Percy strode out of the cabin. The trident followed him, ever so slightly. A small digital readout displayed "56," which seemed absurdly random to me, until the number increased as Percy walked further and further away. If I had to estimate...about 60 feet from me. It seemed that this way, I'd always be able to find him. My inner girly side wanted to scream. It was _so_ sweet of him, especially in combination with the other gifts. I had decided to wait for him in his cabin, but he came back all flustered so I decided to drop it.

Sitting in the woods, I smiled down at my armour, remembering Percy's words. " _We're staying together. You're not getting away from me. Never again."_ I guess he'd solved that problem, so long as I kept my bracelet on.

As I looked at him across the creek, I couldn't help the feeling that something weird was happening with him. I looked down at the trident and whispered " _together."_

 _ **LINE BREAK -**_

 _ **Percy POV**_

I walked through the woods, trying my best to stay in stealth mode, but it was pretty tough in the darkness. I must have tripped over at least a dozen tree roots, but I didn't feel so bad. The Ares cabin wasn't doing all that better, particularly Clarisse. With every misstep, she seemed to grow angrier, until she crept through the woods uttering curses in Ancient Greek.

While we weren't sure where the enemy team hid the flag, Zeus' Fist seemed a good place to start, as it was the most defensible place on this side of the woods. I took the Ares campers on a wide hike around, so that we could attack from behind and hopefully remain undetected. The trip took almost twenty minutes, and I had yet to hear any fighting. It didn't worry me all that much, probably just Annabeth taking her sweet time planning.

When me and the Ares kids reached the clearing, I was happy to see only the Hermes and Demeter cabins guarding the flag, positioned atop the Fist. We waited in silence for a few minutes, as I hope that Annabeth will take the bait and attack our fake Ares defenders.

Finally, I hear yelling and the clash of metal against metal. But there's something wrong. The Hermes and Demeter campers are all on the alert, with weapons drawn, facing outward. They're expecting an attack when they shouldn't be. At least, not anything that should give them such nervous expressions.

"Jackson!" Clarisse's hiss from a few feet away draws me back to reality. "Why aren't we attacking? This is the plan!" I can tell after the wood trek that she's itching for a fight. She's angry, and so she's restless.

"Just wait, Clarisse!" I whisper back urgently. "There's something about this I don't like. We should wait until-"

" _Wait?"_ she cuts in. "We only have a couple minutes. Aphrodite and Hecate won't last long in a fight, even with Apollo's help! You know that!"

"Clarisse, we can't just-"

"We _can_ and we _will,"_ she replies in a low voice. "Fortune favours the bold. Ares cabin, with me!" With that, they break cover and charge Zeus' Fist. I want to stop them, but I realize there's no point. They trust Clarisse to lead them, and our cover is already blown.

 _ **LINE BREAK -**_

 _ **Annabeth POV**_

I watch as the group of Ares warriors explodes out of the treeline. After a moment, Percy joins them, and I give the order to move. I'd told the Hephaestus cabin to make as much noise as they could at the creek, hoping for exactly this outcome. Clarisse had just thrown the game. Together, the Athena and minor cabins surround the Ares campers.

The Hermes cabin is still sitting atop the Fist, but I motion to them. "Travis! Connor! Go!" They and their siblings run towards the creek. It won't be long before they overwhelm the defences Percy's stationed there.

The Ares kids are fighting well, but the children of Athena provide a fit match for them. Percy's presence would have been able to swing the battle back in his favour, but that's why I brought Sparky. I watched as Percy and Jason duelled fiercely, the son of Zeus doing everything in his power to keep my boyfriend distracted from the rest of the fight. Slowly, we manage to wrestle each one of the Ares group to the ground, and bind their hands behind their back.

I fight Clarisse one-on-one, and she's definitely a worthy opponent. She's big, much larger than I am, but I've become much better at fighting over the years. I suppose that comes with the excessive amount of practice. Eventually, I'm joined by two of my sisters, and then two guys from the Demeter cabin. We manage to disarm Clarisse, but she tries to punch her way out of the situation. In the end, three of us simply sit on her; one on both arms, and another on her back.

The fight is dying down, but Percy is still putting up a fierce fight. By now, Malcolm is helping Jason, as well as Katie Gardner and one of her sisters. I know he could likely beat them relatively easily, but he'd have to hurt them to do so. He'd never do that to a fellow camper…

An evil thought pops into my mind. I'm not going to win this game - Percy is going to win it for me.

 _ **LINE BREAK -**_

 _ **Percy POV**_

This whole not being able to fatally wound people is a real bitch in the middle of a fight at camp. I probably could have mopped up this entire fight by now, but _nooooo._ Sigh. Clarisse ruins everything.

As I defend myself, I notice something change in the attackers patterns. They're going all out against me, completely ignoring any defence. I'm about to take advantage of their sloppiness when I hear another set of footsteps behind me. I spin quickly to face the new attacker, raising the pommel of my sword as I do so. Hopefully I can smack this kid in the face.

Everything happens quickly, yet just slow enough for me to understand what is happening as it occurs. This challenger is sprinting towards me, head down, but when they raise it to look at me I see a pair of grey eyes, blond hair, and a mischievous grin. I can't very well break my girlfriend's nose, but my sword arm is already high in the air. I won't have time to bring it back down and defend myself. I try to twist, to move out of the way, but I know I won't be able to in time.

Annabeth sprints into me, tackling me into the dirt with her arms wrapped around me. It gives her siblings just enough time to bind my wrists. I'm _fuming_ and glaring at Annabeth, as she's sitting on top of me, to add insult to injury.

"That's such _BULLSHIT!"_ I yell at her. "I can't believe you'd take advantage of...that's basically cheating! Ugh! You drive me-"

She covers my mouth with her free hand and straddles me as I struggle to get up off the ground. I can still see that stupid grin plastered onto her face. She takes her hand off my mouth, and before I can continue my rant, she quickly kisses me.

"Thanks for the win, Seaweed Brain," she says.


	5. I Plan My Entire Life

I Plan My Entire Life

It was another beautiful day at Camp Half-Blood. Percy watched as campers went about their daily activities. Clarisse drilled a phalanx of fully armoured demigods in the stifling afternoon sun. Unfortunately, that phalanx was made up of the Hermes cabin, so the level of enthusiasm wasn't exactly what Clarisse expected.

At the back of the formation, one of the new kids tripped over someone's sandal and fell face first into the dirt. Grasping for anything to hold onto, he ended up pulling two of his siblings along with him. The group crumbled faster than one of his mom`s homemade blue birthday cakes. Percy's stomach grumbled, he was _starving -_ where was Annabeth with that picnic basket?

Apparently the Hermes kids had just about had enough of their training, and with the heat of the late August sun, Percy couldn't blame them. Not _quite_ as bad as being coated in the lava of Mount St. Helens, but almost. Clarisse barked an order for the demigods to reform, which was followed grudgingly with some grumbling. The sound of approaching footsteps from behind him caught his attention.

He turned to look as Annabeth finished her hike up the small hill. She was wearing her typical outfit: an orange camp t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers, with her Yankees baseball cap covering part of her blonde hair. She looked so similar to when he had first met her five summers ago, thanks to the clothes. Perfect. Percy wouldn't have it any other way. This quiet afternoon date had been his idea, after his girl had kicked his butt in the latest game of capture the flag. Some classic diplomacy, to make sure there were no hard feelings. Or at least that was the excuse he used.

He was about to ask Annabeth what the menu was for today`s picnic when a chorus of laughter drew his gaze back to the arena and the Hermes cabin. In the confusion, someone (ahem, Stoll brothers), had stuck a giant golden _L_ to the front side of Clarisse`s helmet, where her forehead would be. As to how they had managed that, Percy was mystified. The twins never ceased to amaze him. Apparently they must have talked to someone in the Hephaestus cabin, or maybe Hecate, because the _L_ refused to come off. It chanted _Loser!, Loser!_ And doubled in size every time Clarisse tried to peel it off.

Percy started to laugh, but the joke dawned on him. Clarisse had been on _his_ team during capture the flag, with the Hermes cabin joining Annabeth`s alliance. It probably didn't help that Clarisse had been the main reason for the loss. Not that Percy would say that to the daughter of Ares, he didn't want to get pummelled.

Percy laughed aloud again, but for a different reason this time. He was remembering the first time he came to camp, and how Clarisse had tried to bully him. He had been what, twelve then? Clarisse was older. She was around the age of...sew. _Sewage_. That sounded about right. Well, at least he knew one thing hadn't changed. His sense of humour was as lame as ever. He smiled at the thought.

Annabeth's voice brought him back to reality. "You having a party all by yourself over there? You got room for one more?" He smiled again. He was just way too happy to have this girl in his life.

"Nah, sorry. It's private." Percy knew that would earn him a punch. He didn't care. Totally worth the bruise. "I mean, I guess I could make an exception for you. You're kinda cute, I guess." Percy thought Annabeth's smile meant that he was back in the good books. He was mistaken.

"Oh wow, good recovery _Seaweed Brain._ That was totally original, and like, not at _all_ sexist." Percy caught the glimmer in those stormy grey eyes he loved so much and realized she was just messing with him.

A thought formed in Percy's brain. It would earn him another punch. He didn't care. "Oh my gods, _totally,_ like how could I even say something so _awful?_ " He broke character and laughed. "You _totes_ sound like an _empousa._ We should like, go to the mall sometime. Both of them laughed at the picture, casually strolling down 5th Avenue with Kelli, the cheerleader demon, discussing how boyfriend jeans were totally _in_ this season.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the peaceful breeze through the strawberry fields, mixed with the sounds of occasional traffic down County Road 3.141. Percy craved moments like these. After all the years fighting monsters, humans, gods, titans, and even the earth itself, he hoped this is what his future would look like. A quiet, sleepy retirement, spent with the girl next to him.

Percy eventually broke the silence. "This is weird," he said. Annabeth laughed. "Yea, we've sat together for an entire three and a half minutes without an argument or being attacked by monsters," she said. Percy smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "Annabeth, do you realize that all of this is sort of coming to an end? Camp Half-Blood, quests every summer, even Mr. D being insufferable."

"But Percy, you _hate_ that stuff. You've told me a million times how excited about Camp Jupiter you are. About settling down, safe from monster attacks. Just you and me." She added the last sentence with a pointed expression.

Percy sighed. "I do hate the monster attacks. I want to be able to live without being in constant danger of my being burned, bitten, or cut. But I don't hate Camp Half-Blood. I don't hate the friends we have here. And I _certainly_ don't hate the memories we've made. We're going to college at Camp Jupiter in a _year._ A _year,_ Annabeth. I'm going to miss this place."

Annabeth pursed her lips. He could only imagine how she felt. By the time Percy arrived for the first time, Annabeth had been here for years, and she had been a year-rounder. "I'd be lying if I hadn't been thinking the same thing, the past few days," she replied.

Percy looked at her. An idea came to mind. "Annabeth, I know it makes sense for us to go to college at Camp Jupiter. We'll be able to find some peace for a little while. So we should do it. But afterwards….." His voice trailed off. He knew it was far-fetched. But if felt wrong not to at least bring it up. He turned to look at her.

"I don't want to lose this place. And well, with Camp Jupiter, older demigods never have to leave. They can stay there as long as they want. Raise a family. I was just thinking - what if we tried that with Camp Half-Blood?" Now that he had started, the words started pouring out of him. "We don't even have to stay in this valley. I doubt there would be room for something like that anyway. But maybe somewhere nearby - far enough where it wouldn't change Camp, but close enough where we could visit sometimes. I like New Rome, but it's just too….. _Roman._ It's not home. And you could design the whole thing! Imagine it Annabeth! Creating a whole community, the future of Greek demigods. And that way, if we all stayed, maybe we wouldn't be so involved in the mortal world - we'd have less big fights among ourselves, like World War 2 or the Civil W-"

Percy noticed Annabeth's piercing gaze for the first time. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and anticipation. "Percy, that's...that's a _big_ idea. More than big, _huge._ Do you have any idea how much planning, how difficult the organizing would be?"

He paused to think for a moment, staring out over the expanse of the camp, taking in the view. "Annabeth...don't you think it would be worth it? To have _this,_ safety for Greek demigods, for….eternity?"

She took a deep breath in before a smile broke her face. "You're nuts, Seaweed Brain. But I love it. I think Chiron would agree. We'll have to get his help. I think the first priority would be to find a location. It would have to be-"

Percy's near-hysterical laughter stopped her in her tracks. It was just too much. If they could make this work...it would mean setting the course on the rest of his life. He had never really had the opportunity to plan anything for his own future, going from school to school, just trying to survive the next monster attack. And here it was. And of course, Annabeth would automatically start thinking about the details, when Percy was too caught up with the moment. He would have kissed her right then and there, if he hadn't noticed the black figure diving down on them from overhead.


	6. I Yell at My Horse

I Yell at My Horse

Percy was almost worried until he saw the massive wings extending from either side of the black stallion. Unfortunately, there were some pretty angry thoughts running through his head, after such a perfect moment being ruined. Blackjack must have picked up on his emotions through that weird mental link they shared, courtesy of Papa Poseidon.

" _Geez, sorry boss. Hope I wasn't interrupting anything too important."_ Percy was mad for a grand total of about two and a half seconds before he got over it. Blackjack had saved his life too many times for him to stay angry. Besides, he wouldn't have interrupted unless it was important.

Percy reached out with his mind to talk to his horse. " _Don't worry about it buddy. It's nothing. Is something wrong?"_ Whatever it was, Percy wanted to deal with it quickly so he could finish his picnic. Him and Annabeth were supposed to have the entire afternoon together, but it had only just started.

" _It's your brother, boss. The one who's obsessed with peanut butter, who almost broke my boy Guido's back a while ago."_ Percy felt nervous immediately. Tyson was in trouble, and it was bad enough that the big guy couldn't deal with it on his own. It was a really troubling thought. _"Sounds bad. Explain it to me on the way,"_ Percy responded.

He turned to look at his date. "Tyson's in trouble, I've gotta go find him, make sure he's ok." Annabeth's face paled in reaction. Percy knew she had grown to care about his half-brother, even if she had been a bit apprehensive at first. She was just as worried as he was. "I'll go tell Chiron, tell him we might have a problem on our hands." Percy knew her reaction was just the typical Annabeth response mechanism. But it frustrated him. Not her, oh _gods_ never her - but the situation was enough to drive him crazy.

"Annabeth, wait. I'm not going to let this ruin our afternoon. I'm going to be back soon. Then we can talk to Chiron about our idea." Annabeth looked back at him and smiled. " _Our_ idea now? Take care of yourself, Seaweed Brain. Don't you go and die on me, I won't be able to get this little project of ours started without you." Percy had to smile, despite how anxious he was. "I'll be right back," he said, uncapping Riptide.

As Blackjack rose faster and faster into the clouds, straining to flap his long dark wings with urgency, Percy looked down to watch Annabeth stride to the Big House, her long blonde hair flowing as she ran. _"Ok Blackjack, this better be good to have interrupted my date. How much trouble is Tyson in, on a scale from 1 to Tartarus?"_ Percy heard a strange noise coming from his mental connection with the horse - a high pitched _neigh neigh neigh._ He realized it must have been some sort of weird pegasi laughter.

 _"Yea well, you would know, wouldn't you boss? With that little trip you took."_ Percy could hear more of the laughter in the back of his mind. _"Ha ha, you're real funny, ace,"_ Percy responded sourly. _"Just fill me in already."_ Blackjack paused for a moment. " _What did you just call me, boss?_ Ace? _I like that. I like that a lot."_ Percy's patience was shortening. " _Blackjack-"_

 _"Alright, alright, I'm gettin' there! So I was flyin' on home from seein' this real pretty lady horse, ya know? She lives in Boston, her names Nelly ya see, she lives in Boston. She's great, other than that whole Red Sox thing. So anyways-"_

 _"Hold on, hold on,"_ Percy interrupted. He could get over the fact that Blackjack was dating a horse named _Nelly,_ a name so painfully obvious it was almost physically hurt to think about. But a Red Sox fan? No. This wasn't allowed. He didn't care that it made no sense for a horse to follow baseball. He'd seen plenty of strange things in his life, this wouldn't even crack the top twenty. But a Long Island pegasus seeing a Sox fan? No. It was quite simply unnatural. This isn't how the world was supposed to work.

" _You mean to tell me you're dating a female horse named Nelly who cheers for the Red Sox?"_ Blackjack seemed nervous about where this was going. _"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it_ dating _exactly, but-"_

" _Blackjack, you're not getting any donuts from me for the rest of the summer. And I'm going to do my best to make sure no one else at Camp Half-Blood gives you any either."_ Blackjack gave a lough _neighhhhhhh_ aloud in protest. " _But boss!"_ Percy's anger was ebbing, and he knew he'd have to give up this talk (at least for a little while) so that he could find out about Tyson. But he had to add one more thing.

 _"I wouldn't have cared if you told me you went to Boston for just about anyone else. Another guy pegasus, heck even donkeys are ok in my book. You do you. I don't judge. But you never….I mean….a RED SOX fan, Blackjack? What was going through your_ head?" Alright, he had to reel himself in before he really lost it. He didn't want to cause a hurricane and flood all of Long Island. _"Just tell me what happened with Tyson so we can help him and go home!"_ Blackjack's head was hung in shame by now.

 _"Well….after I visited Nelly, I was on my way home. Flew over Gardiner's Bay, just like I always do when I come back from seeing her. Typically I try to come back at sunset. It's a real nice view as-"_

 _"Try to stay on topic, Blackjack,"_ Percy reminded him. They didn't have time to spare. _"Right, right, sorry boss. Anyhow, as I'm flying over Gardiner's Bay I see this massive snake-lookin' thing sliding just below the surface, toward this mortal ship. But then I realized it wasn't no mortal ship. It was this big white yacht, which is why it caught my attention. I noticed the name. The_ Princess Andromeda."

 _"No, it can't be. I….I destroyed that ship. Beckendorf, he…"_ Percy had to stop. The memory made him angry and emotional every time he thought about it. " _Don't worry boss, it wasn't the same one,"_ Blackjack said. _"It had a bunch of girls on board, except for two guys. One of them was your big friend Tyson. The other was that scary dude - what's his name? Angles, or something?_

 _"Wait….you mean Nico?_ " Percy was really worried now. He owed that kid a lot. If he was in trouble with Tyson... and who were these girls Blackjack mentioned? The Amazons, maybe? Percy thought it might be the Hunters, but it wasn't possible. They were off scouting for recruits in Canada. He would have to figure it out later. He realized Gardiner's Bay was right below them - gods, his horse was fast. _"Alright Blackjack...take me down."_


	7. I Walk on Water

I Walk on Water

My initial reaction wasn't exactly the stereotype of heroic, but it was satisfying. As Blackjack descended towards the yacht, and the slithering monster rose out of the bay, my first thought was "Hey, I know that one!" It was massive, with a mixture of beautiful blue and green scales that would have helped it blend into the surf. On it's head, a frill popped open as it hissed at the _Princess Andromeda._

I recognized it from some of the few monster-fighting classes I had paid attention to. It was called _Cetus,_ or maybe _The Cetus,_ I wasn't really sure. The only reason I remembered this particular gem was because my namesake, the original Perseus, had killed it thousands of years ago protecting his girlfriend. That was after my dad had set the beast on her. I was hoping Poseidon wasn't behind this attack too, or he was most _definitely_ not getting that awesome " _Just go with the flo, bro"_ surfer t-shirt I had picked up for him on my recent trip out to California.

As Blackjack neared the ship I scrambled to remember how to kill this thing. I remembered that it wasn't easy. The thing was way too big to just stab with some celestial bronze and hope for good results. We were close enough now that I could recognize Tyson and Nico, fighting together, club and Stygian iron raised in an attempt to take off the beast's tongue. I thanked every Olympian I could name that they were both alive. That is, until I recognized the figure being knocked off the side of the boat, landing in the ocean with a loud splash.

"Blackjack, go! It's Thalia!" I could figure out why she and the rest of the Hunters were here later. My horse poured on every bit of speed he could manage, pumping his wings so fast that maybe even Arion would have been jealous (that would be some interesting profanity). Blackjack focused on getting to Thalia as fast as possible, rather than safely. And that's where it started to go wrong.

Cetus lifted his tail out of the water again, but it came up right in front of us, and Blackjack was moving too fast to get out of the way. He collided with the wall of scales, barely managing to keep himself aloft. The shock of the impact knocked me off and into the waves, which I didn't mind too much. I liked being on home turf...or would it count as home _surf?_ After getting my bearings, I dived into the water. Thalia had sunk below the surface. I used the water to my advantage, shooting through the water. It only took me a few seconds to get an arm wrapped around Thalia's waist, but she didn't look too good - a gash on the side of her thigh was bleeding quickly.

I made sure to hold tight to her as I shot us out of the water in a geyser of my own making, straight onto the deck of the ship. As soon as I put Thalia down somewhere safe, I rushed over to Nico and Tyson. Tyson must have been really scared, because he didn't even give me the customary bear hug when he noticed me. "Big brother! Glad you're here to help us, nasty snake whale doesn't want to die! Too hard to hit!" Nico just nodded to me.

I had remembered how Perseus had killed this thing, but I wanted to make sure it was the _only_ way before I tried it. It might end in somebody getting killed. I jumped over the rail towards the creature, and ran over to him, manipulating the surface of the water so that I could jog over it like a solid surface. I tried not to cringe at the amount of Jesus-related jokes I was going to suffer once word spread that I could walk on water.

After dodging around the beast's head a few times with only a few minor cuts (very large cuts that didn't feel too bad because, you know, _water)_ I managed to reach under its defence and place a strike right on it's flank. My blade bounced off like the scales were metal. Naturally, the universe wasn't going to let me do this the easy way. Thanks again, universe.

As I ran back to the ship, I tried to think of a way to make this work. It would be hard, but we could manage it. I sighed, trying to vent my frustration. Just another day in the life of a demigod. Perfection or death. Sink or swim….or walk, at least in my case….Well, at least I had a plan. With all that time together, Annabeth must have been rubbing some of that _intelligence_ stuff off on me. Ew, gross.

"Nico! I'm gonna need your help!" The son of Hades staggered over, as the deck shook with the force of the Cetus' attack. "I know how to kill this thing," I said. "I need you to shadow travel to somewhere in Manhattan!" Nico stared at me. "You want me to abandon you guys with this _thing?"_ I had to try and keep calm; we weren't going to last much longer against this thing.

"Listen to me, the only way we can kill that thing is with Medusa's head! At least, that's how the original Perseus did it. I still have it from years ago when I killed her, on my first quest with Annabeth and Grover. I rented a storage locker to keep some demigod stuff I didn't want to leave around the house." The look Nico gave me would have made me laugh in any other situation. It was kind of like, _dude really? You kept a nasty head for 5 years in a New York storage locker? That's messed up, man._

Unfortunately, we didn't have time for laughs. I explained the address and the lock combination he would need to get in. "Take Blackjack with you," I added. My horse was flying around, keeping a safe distance, but he didn't seem to be helping. If he flew too low, Cetus could easily pull him under. As I watched my two dark friends fade into shadow, I dodged my way across the ship's deck to check on Thalia. As I walked, I did my best to control the waves so that the ship didn't capsize.

By the time I found her, she had already bandaged up her leg, and was back on her feet. As much as she drove him crazy, Percy had to admire how tough she was. He watched as she launched several arrows towards the monster's maw, each finding it's mark. It reminded him of the way Zoe Nightshade had helped him bring down the Nemean lion in Washington D.C. a few years back. They were sadly lacking in space food this time around. The daughter of Zeus was growing more and more like Zoe every time Percy ran into her. As he watched, he noted the charm bracelet on her wrist, and remembered something. Thalia wasn't an archer. At least not originally.

"Thalia!" He fought to make himself heard over the swell. She turned to look at him, just a moment's glance in the chaos of the fight. He locked eyes with her. "Your shield! Let me use it!" Her facial expression quickly shifted. First, straining to hear him over the noise. Second, understanding at his intentions and a hint of a smile. Then something much more intimidating. She stared him down with her electric-blue eyes, and Percy could have sworn he could see lightning crackling within them.

"You are _not_ using my shield! It's my oldest...my favourite weapon!" He couldn't believe she was being so stubborn. "Thalia, you're using your bow! Besides, I'm the only one who can get close to it!" Thalia's eyes hadn't shifted an inch since Percy's suggestion, as if challenging him to a staring contest. Fear, anxiety, and maybe even a bit of distrust showed in her expression. That Hunter stuff about hating boys must have been really getting to her. She had changed so much.

Her eyes had still not shifted, even when Cetus knocked the _Princess Andromeda_ about twenty feet with a single blow. "Percy...if you lose this...let's just say you'll regret it." He thought that somehow, that was more scary than if she had made some other lame threat. Thalia was too prideful not to follow up on a threat. She loosened the bracelet off of her wrist and handed it to him. Jewelry wasn't exactly his style, but he'd just have to suck it up and look a little girly for a while. He tapped the bracelet and muttered _"aegis,"_ as he'd seen Thalia do on multiple occasions. The shield sprang to life.

As he turned to face the sea monster, it instantly retreated. It was designed to inspire fear, just like the original shield, wielded by Zeus himself. The aura had made Percy thankful he'd never had to face Thalia in a serious fight. Cetus was effected even more than normal - it recognized Medusa's head, which had sent it to Tartarus at least once before. Percy jumped the rail again and drove Cetus as far away from the ship as he dared. He would need to be nearby when Nico and Blackjack returned.

The shield was bulky, and was really designed for use in a Greek _phalanx,_ coupled with a longer spear called a _sarissa._ Riptide wasn't optimal, but Percy would never trade his sword out for another weapon. It was a part of him. Even so, the shorter reach was making it very difficult for Percy to block Cetus from returning to the ship. He was doing his best to keep it`s attention, but the initial shock factor from Aegis was fading fast.

Cetus, apparently much smarter than (he, she?) appeared, feinted to the left and managed to scrape by Percy's right side, continuing towards the ship. He raised his sword slightly, and raised a huge wave to shove Cetus back towards him. There had to be a way to contain the beast in the water, to stop it from swimming to the ship. Percy was struck with an idea.

He was going to try something he had never attempted before. It would be difficult, but no harder than other things he had done over the years. Just more complicated. He closed his eyes and focused on the movement of the water around the sea monster, willing them to abandon the current and move in a circle around the giant water snake. Percy heard a great rushing sound, and opened his eyes to see Cetus hopelessly caught in a whirpool. It trashed about, but could not escape the rapidly moving waves.

At this point, Percy barely had to will the waves, only willing that they continue their current pattern. Hah, _current_ pattern. Mental self-five. He was so focused on the beast that he didn't notice the _Princess Andromeda_ creeping towards the whirpool, ever so slightly. The force of the water was gradually pulling them towards Percy and Cetus. It wasn't close enough to get caught in the circle quite yet, and so those on board weren't panicking. As Percy watched, Cetus, in one final attempt to free itself, threw itself in the general direction of the boat. It collided with the ship and crumpled the hull, creating enough small holes for water to begin flooding the inside and drawing the yacht into the water. He was forced to watch helplessly as the ship - and his friends - began to sink beneath the waves.


	8. I Lose My Temper

Percy watched, horrified, as the ship began to sink. His friends on board would have no way of stopping or even slowing the yacht going down. If they didn't drown, they'd be at the mercy of Cetus. Percy knew it was only a matter of time before Nico and Blackjack got back with Medusa's head, but being able to kill Cetus wouldn't matter if Percy couldn't stop his friends from drowning.

He had to distract the beast, keep it away from his friends while he thought up a way to stop the boat going down. A thought occurred to him after his lengthy conversation with Blackjack earlier. He had always been able to talk to pegasi. He'd been able to communicate with hippocampi easily. He could even read the primal emotions of most fish. He'd managed to save the world by talking with Bessie the ophiotaurus a few years back. So what if he tried….

After barely extending his conscious towards Cetus, he felt the raw size of the monster's mind engulf his own. It was all he could do to keep anger and ferocity at bay. But these thoughts weren't like talking with Blackjack. They were more like fish, more undefined. Percy could understand the beast's emotions, but he doubted he`d be able to converse with the monster, or calm it down. An idea sprung into his mind. "Don't fight the current," he thought. "Ride it."

He looked straight at the beast as it rose from the water. In his head, he projected as many insults as he could manage. " _Hey, Cetus! Yea, you, with the stubby arms!"_ The beast roared in his direction. He certainly had it's attention now. _"Yea, what are you, cousins with the t-rex? Bet you`d have a tough time... opening jars!"_ Ok, definitely not my best work. But he really didn't think it mattered - either Cetus had some serious insecurity about those arms, or Percy's tone was enough to drive the monster crazy. He decided to test his theory.

 _"Eh buddy! I really like the colour of those scales! They bring out your eyes!_ " Percy received an even larger roar in response. At least he had an answer to that question. Another thought popped into his head, an old movie Annabeth had made Percy watch recently, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It initially just seemed like one of those awful flicks that had been made while dinosaurs roamed the earth, but it turned out to be really funny. Aloud this time, Percy called:

"Hey Cetus! I fart in your general direction!~ With this, he turned and pointed his rear end towards the monster. Before the monster could recover from it`s shock, Percy continued. ~Your mother was...was a hamster! And….and your father smelled like old berries!~ In the background, Percy could see the demigods aboard the _Princess Andromeda_ watching with pure and utter confusion on their faces. It was if their ship wasn't even sinking. Hopefully it was because he had misquoted the movie, which he was pretty sure he had.

Cetus had seemed to recover from his confusion. Percy could sense a different feeling flowing across the monster's consciousness. It was not rage. It was simply cold, black anger. It had probably never been so thoroughly disrespected before. As it began to dip between the waves, it's figure cast a shadow over the waves of the water. A large, dark figure emerged, almost appearing from the shadows themselves. Percy thankfully managed to recognize what was occurring in time to summon a huge wave between the monster and the ship, to stop anyone on board from seeing what was about to happen.

Nico pulled the head from a small bag and, with eyes closed, pointed it in the _general direction_ (hah) of Cetus' face. Percy was able to look freely at the whole scene, as Medusa's eyes were pointed away from him. Cetus froze, then his eyes turned a lifeless grey colour. The stone spread from Cetus' eyes to the rest of it's head, then down it's neck, and finally reached the parts of the monster submerged beneath the water. After a few moments, it's figure quickly sank.

"Really, Jackson? You went with the Monty Python reference?" Thalia's disapproval was clear as he handed Aegis back to her. He simply smirked and gave a shrug.

"Seemed pretty appropriate for trying to make someone mad. But hey, don't thank me or anything. I just came to save your butt." Percy's response earned him a very cold look.

"You did not rescue me, Jackson. I don't need -"

"Whatever Thalia. You were totally fine on your own. Blah, blah, I've heard it before." He couldn't help being a bit angry with Thalia. Sure, she was proud. She didn't want to seem dependent on anyone, and Percy was well-aware that she could take care of herself. But everyone needed help sometimes. Even a daughter of Zeus.

After the ship had went down, Percy had kept everyone afloat on a large piece of the ship which had cracked off, while Blackjack flew the demigods back to the shore, two at a time. It was a lengthy, cold process, but everyone made it out. Everyone, that is, except for one of the Hunters. Her name was Jennifer, one of the new Canadian recruits. When Cetus smashed into the hull, she was in the engine room. It had thrown her into the opposite wall, headfirst. That was probably why Thalia was being so unreasonable, but Percy was frustrated that she was taking her anger and focusing it on him.

As he walked away from the scene, Thalia muttered something that Percy almost couldn't hear. "It's always you," she said. Percy spun around to face her. She was grieving, and he was trying to be patient, but he did _not_ like that comment.

"What did you say?" he said sharply. "Are you blaming me for what happened today?" Thalia regarded him with another cold look, her blue eyes the mirror image of her father's, strong, mysterious, dangerous, and _very_ quick to anger.

"Everytime I'm with you," she said, "something happens. Something awful. I'm starting to think it might not be a coincidence."

Percy couldn't believe his ears, he was starting to lose his temper. "What the _hell_ are you talking about? I tried my best today Thalia. I was distracting the monster. How is it my fault, what happened? How is _any_ of this my fault?"

"All I know Percy, is that everytime we see each other, someone gets hurt. At Westover Hall, Annabeth went missing because you got cocky." Percy started to interrupt, but Thalia drove on. Her voice grew louder, more hoarse. "Or in the desert, when we lost Bianca because you let her go into that robot." Her voice was raising in volume now. "OR ON OLYMPUS, WITH LUKE. BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T BEAT KRONOS. Every time, someone close to me, someone I care about, in danger because of _your_ failings Percy. Tears started to form in her eyes. "Now, Jen is dead because _you_ couldn't keep a lid on Cetus today."

Percy was numb. He couldn't feel most of his body. He had always done well by his friends. Every time one of them was in danger, he would do whatever it took to help them. Athena had told him once it was his fatal flaw. Apparently that was all a farce. He saw all of his failings clearly now. He hung his head. He felt like he was back in Tartarus, when Calypso's curse had felt like it ripped through his insides. It seemed that tears didn't fall into Poseidon's sphere, because Percy couldn't stop them from flowing. He looked up at Thalia, feeling weak beyond measure.

"Ok," he muttered. "You're right...those things were all my fault. I failed, Bianca died. I failed, Zoe died. I failed, Jen died. I get it. I'm not welcome." He started to walk away. The sun was low in the sky, it would begin setting soon. As he walked, Blackjack quietly joined him, sensing how he felt through their mental connection. Percy mounted his horse and took off, heading back towards Camp Half-Blood. He heard Tyson and Nico calling out to him in confusion, but he didn't turn back. He buried his head in Blackjack's mane, feeling worse than he had in a long time.


	9. I Have Some Nasty Nightmares (Part 1)

_**Hello everyone! This is part one of the next chapter. I would prefer to keep them combined but when they're over 10 pages, it makes more sense to split them up. As I mentioned before, there will be one chapter released between "Annabeth's Birthday" and "I Plan My Entire Life." Apologies once again for releasing out of order, I'll be back on track again very soon. Feel free to leave suggestions in the review section. I have plans for where the story is going and it will cover the school year in relative detail, so I'm always open to ideas. There will be a lot of smaller things I'd love to add in. Enjoy! Part 2 will be up Saturday or Sunday.**_

 _ **P.S. I Promise the story won't be this dark throughout the whole thing.**_

 _ **Percy POV**_

Chapter 8 - I Have Some Nasty Nightmares, Part 1

Percy arrived back at Camp Half-Blood as the sun was going down. Dinner would be soon, but he wouldn't be going to the dining pavilion. I thanked Blackjack for all he had done today and headed back to cabin. I crashed into my bed, and after a few minutes, quickly fell into the embrace of restless nightmares.

I was back at the junkyard in the desert that I'd visited two and a half years ago, standing in the middle of the wreckage of the destroyed automaton. It was after dark, and the eerie quiet of the yard dominated the atmosphere. Occasionally, hollow whispers flew through the desert sands, spurred by a strong breeze. There was no hum to signify nearby cars, and the air lacked the quiet pad of scavenger's paws. Even the buzz of insects was absent. Nearby mountains could have been mistaken for razor sharp teeth against the light of the moon. I explored the ruins, moving from the giant toes to the robot's head. Upon reaching my destination, my heart skipped a beat.

Bianca sat, lounging on the nose as if she were sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner. She was dressed like a Huntress, silvery clothing, with the exception of her the green floppy hat she had been wearing when I met her. The light of the moon seemed to absorb into her skin, making her stronger. She had her eyes closed, with a smile on her face. A bow and quiver sat within an arm's reach. As I watched her, guilt forced a sound in the back of his throat somewhere between a grunt and a whimper. It hurt to see her, so lifelike.

She must have heard, as her eyes flew open as she reached for her bow. Her eyes settled on me, noticing for the first time, but she slowly relaxed and sat back into her former position. This time, the smile was gone and her eyes were open, regarding me with a mistrustful look.

"Bianca," I choked out. "How are you here?"

Now she stared straight at him, her eyes like venom, boring into my soul. "Funny," she said. "I thought you of all people would know why I'm... _constricted_ here. You're responsible."

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. "I didn't want-"

"Didn't want _what,_ Percy? For me to climb into this thing? Then why didn't you try to stop me when I said I was going to? You had heard the Oracle's prophecy. You knew exactly what was going to happen."

"No," I managed to say, through the tears. "This is never what I wanted."

Bianca shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Even now, he lies to himself," she said, looking up at the stars. "Can you believe it, Zoe? Even now, he can't admit it."

He couldn't even say anything in his own defence. He felt awful. Biana...she was so young, so innocent. When he met her, she had only just found out about her demigod side. She should have never been allowed on the quest. He should never have let her attack the automaton. It _was_ his fault. He should have been the one in that machine when it was destroyed. Hearing laughing, he looked up.

"Finally," Bianca said, again looking upwards. "He begins to understand the depth of his guilt. Not that there is any hope." She lowered her head and looked into his eyes. He had never seen Bianca look like this. She looked like Nico….she looked like her father, Hades. Madness flickered deep in her own eyes, and I felt imprisoned, unable to look away. He was terrified.

"I will ensure my father condemns you to the worst torture imaginable when you finally perish," Bianca said, in a voice that was not her own. It sounded similar to how Kronos had spoke, steel scraping against steel. "You will not go to the Fields of Elysium...oh no, little hero," she continued. Now she sounded exactly as Kronos had. She began to laugh maniacally. "You will be thrown into the depths of Tartarus, into the uninhabitable lands. You will be hounded by monsters constantly, unable to defeat the droves which are reborn again and again. But this time...you will not have the daughter of Athena to aid you. There will be no escape."

Bianca's eyes began to glow, turning gold. As the light from her eyes grew, her laughter became louder and louder. The light from within her body dissolved her body, and the true form of my greatest enemy, Kronos, was revealed. I couldn't look away, the pain was so total it was paralyzing.

He awoke with a start. The sun had just set. The quiet gurgle of the fountain in the corner of his cabin was the only sound, aside from the distant sounds of demigods supping on their evening meal in the dining pavilion. I still had no motivation to eat, so I laid back down. I didn't really want to sleep either, but it's embrace seemed to pull me, as if it wanted to draw him back into another torturous dream. I gave in.

It took him a few moments to realize where he was standing, but when he did, he was horrified. He was in Connecticut. Before him, the house of May Castellan sat in the night, with low light emitting from the windows. I had to get out of here. I wouldn't, no, _couldn't_ go in there. An unexpected voice next to him made him jump half way out of his skin.

"Seems pretty cozy, huh?" A young man with blond hair and a scar down the side of his face was standing next to him, dressed in an orange Camp-Half Blood tank top, beach shorts, and a camp necklace, adorned with several beads. He wore casual flip flops on his feet, and a sword was strapped to his hip.

"Luke?" I asked, "you're...why are you here? You hate this place."

The son of Hermes laughed, but it was warm, welcoming. This wasn't the Luke Percy knew. It was the version of Luke before he went over to Kronos. The one that had welcomed me to Camp Half-Blood. He'd been the coolest, nicest guy in the valley. Everyone liked and respected him. He'd taken Percy under his wing and explained everything, even stolen some toiletries for him.

"That's true," Luke responded. "But I think whatever's left of me likes to visit this place whenever it gets the chance. Probably because I felt so guilty that I never visited her. Come on in," he said invitingly.

I started to step back. "Luke, I don't want-"

He couldn't finish his sentence. Luke's sword was at his throat. His opponent smiled. "Come on, it's important that you see this."

Percy had no choice, so he walked towards the house, with Luke behind him, keeping him at swordpoint. As they entered the garden, I looked around at all of the figurines strewn around May Castellan's lawn. Many were destroyed, their remains strewn about. The debris covered the path, and Percy had to be careful not to trip.

Upon reaching the front door, I stopped. Luke prodded him with his sword and motioned. "Go ahead," he said. "It's unlocked." I entered the house.

All around, the place was a mess. The massive pile of plastic containers which once held sandwiches were spilled out onto the floor, producing a disgusting, overpowering smell. Furniture was overturned, pictures on the wall had their frames smashed. Long scratch marks on the ceiling created mysterious symbols and phrases in languages that I didn't recognize.

"What is it you thought the first time you came here, Percy? That you were jealous because I had a childhood in the suburbs, with a front lawn?" Luke laughed, but it was colder this time. "Yea, it was a real treat. I spent most of my time outside so I could avoid her fits.

"Luke," I began to say apprehensively, "Why am I here?"

Luke turned to him, his blue eyes full glowing with a pleasant smile. "Why, Percy, you're here to see what you've accomplished. What your legacy will be, as a demigod. You are mortal, after all." He pointed to a closed door. I could hear a quiet, consistent creaking behind it.

I approached the door. It's not as if I had any choice, was unarmed against Luke, the best sword fighter I'd ever faced. The door was open just a crack. As I pushed it inwards, I peered within.


	10. I Have Some Nasty Nightmares (Part 2)

_**I've recently received a request asking if someone could recreate the front cover of Percy's birthday card I described in the "Annabeth's Birthday" chapter. Unfortunately I suck at art, so if anyone thinks they could do it please DM me!**_

 _ **Percy POV**_

Chapter 8 - I Have Some Nasty Nightmares (Part 2)

Across the room, May Castellan sat near a large, open window. Through it, Percy could see the moon high in the sky. Unlike Bianca, the silver light seemed to reflect off her skin, resulting in a strange appearance of a ghostly aura. She sat in a rocking chair, holding a small doll, which she held close to her breast. May sang to it quietly, a spine-chilling melody that ran through my body like ice water. She looked up, noticing me standing in the doorway. She smiled, and motioned to enter the room. I froze in fear - her eyes were glowing green. They only turned that way when she had one of her 'fits,' as Luke called them.

"Come in, Percy," she said. "I welcome Olympus' greatest _hero."_ She gave a great cackle, as if she had made a joke the rest of the world would not understand.

I walked into the room, and those eyes followed me as I found my seat at the foot of the bed. I tried my best not to make eye-contact, but it wasn't easy. The creaking had not stopped, as May had continued to rock back and forth, back and forth. The noise was incredibly unnerving in the darkness.

"Welcome, dear," she said to me. "Look, Luke came home after all," she said in a shaky voice, motioning to the doll in her arms. "I am so happy. He spends so much time with me now. My little Luke, always such a good boy!"

Percy stared at the doll. It did look vaguely like Luke - small yellow pieces of rope to serve as blonde hair, stitched blue eyes, and of course, no scar. The only change I would have made was the smile. The doll's face was stitched into a red smile, stretched far too wide across the face, almost reaching the ears on both sides. On the very few occasions I'd seen happiness in Luke's face, his smile was _never_ that large. I doubted it ever had been.

I was still confused as to why May wasn't convulsing, shaking, and speaking in that haunting voice she had used when in her 'fits.' Her eyes were glowing, yet she seemed normal to me - or as near to normal as May Castellan could get.

"Hello, Mrs. Castellan," I croak nervously. "I'm surprised you remember me. I visited a pretty long time ago. How are you-"

"Don't try to placate me, child," she interrupts, her voice changing. "I know what you have done. I know what you did to my baby boy. I had a dream recently, a voice in the darkness told me all about how you killed him."

"Wait, , I didn't kill Luke!" I exclaim with exasperation. "On Mount Olympus...your son, he sacrificed himself to save us from Kronos. He-"

I'm interrupted again by 's angry voice. "Don't lie to me, boy! The voice in the darkness...it told me what you did. Killed my poor Luke in cold blood."

I don't understand anything about this situation. Why is May Castellan still like this? I thought the gods pledged to me that they would be better, that they would try to fix the problems they created with mortals. Now, Kronos was whispering to Luke's mother, and no one, not even Hermes, had raised a finger. In fact, May seemed worse off than the last time I saw her. I've never seen a smile that conveyed hatred so well, but with May's glowing green eyes, I felt as if this frail woman could easily reach across and strangle me without a second thought.

I couldn't stay here, under this accusing gaze - not after such an awful day. The accusations had hammered away, and I was at my breaking point. I rush to leave the room, where Luke is waiting in the dark hallway. He has a smile on his face more akin to after he betrayed us, cold and evil.

"How was your little talk?" he asked casually, leaning up against the wall, sword still in hand. He inspected it in the low lighting, checking for scratches or imperfections.

"I didn't kill you," I growl, angry. "That's bullshit. Maybe you should tell your old friend _Kronos_ that, because he's talking to your mom in her sleep. Don't you care about her at all? She's-" I'm halted once again by the sword at my throat.

"Don't _ever_ say I don't care about her," Luke said threateningly.

"Well, don't you think it's dangerous that she has Kronos talking to her?" I demand. "That doesn't exactly lead to great things! You should know!"

"What do you want me to do, Percy?" Luke responded angrily. "I'm a ghost. It's not like I can just walk to Olympus and demand they help her." His expression hardened. "And even if I could, it's not like they would ever help me. It's their fault she's like this in the first place. Actually, they're not completely to blame. If you had held them to their promises, maybe my mother would actually be ok."

He began to grow angrier as he talked. "She wasn't really wrong, you know that? About you killing me. You all did, by making sure I would never be able to go back to Camp Half-Blood." He advances towards me. I back up, but he drives me into the kitchen, where I trip over the fallen containers.

When I turn towards him again him, his blue eyes have been replaced by the golden pools of Kronos. Time slows down as the Titan Lord advances towards me, sword in hand. I can't get up. As he brings his sword down, he simply laughs, and uses his rasping voice to convey what I know Luke is thinking within.

"It is all your fault, little hero! Every loss, every failure, your fault! And you will live with that guilt for eternity!"

I awake again in my bed at Camp Half-Blood, tears flooding my face. I'm terrified to sleep, but the guilt I feel pressed down on me, into a state where I don't have the willingness or even the ability to rise from my bed. I can't even sit up. I sit for what seems like hours, as my body is racked by sobs. My mind is taken up entirely by their faces, the ones I've lost. Castor, Michael Yew, Lee Fletcher, Zoe, Beckendorf, Silena, Ethan, Luke, and most of all, Bianca. My mind slips away into the darkness again.


	11. I Have Some Nasty Nightmares (Part 3)

_**Note: I realize the music tour mentioned in this chapter happens about a year late (2002), according to when Thalia and Luke are supposed to be alone together (2001). But this is fiction, so deal with it.**_

 _ **Percy POV**_

Chapter 9 - I Have Some Nasty Nightmares (Part 3)

I was standing in the middle of what seemed like a jungle. The air was thick and humid, and once again the blackness of night covered my surroundings. However, this time the darkness didn't seem quite so threatening. Nearby, I could see the orange glow of a campfire. I approached it warily, unsure of what I would encounter. From a higher vantage point, I looked down on the camp and realized what I was seeing was long in the past. Two demigods sat across from one another on fallen logs, and I recognized both immediately.

On the left, Thalia was using a stick to bore a hole in the dirt. She must have been at it for quite some time, because the hole was growing quite large. She attacked it with a ferocious energy, as if it were the source of all her worldly problems. She was still young, if I had to guess I'd say probably about 14 or 15 - right around the time her and Luke were together in the wilderness.

He sat on the right, watching her. He had a smile on his face, one which was still uncorrupted by the anger which would come to consume him. His blond hair and blue eyes, together with his casual clothing, gave him a surfer-type look; carefree and calm. For a moment, I was reminded of Will Solace. I guess that's what Luke would have been like before everything happened.

Luke leaned back and spoke. "Hey, c'mon, you're treating that stick like it tried to kill you in your sleep. What's bugging you? You're obviously pretty pissed about something."

For a few seconds, Thalia didn't say anything. She just kept hammering away at that stick. "Nothing's _bugging_ me," she said, with venom in her voice. Her ripped black clothes, dark hair, combat boots and makeup normally gave her an intimidating appearance. It screamed " _don't mess with me or I'll kick your ass,"_ louder than anything Clarisse could ever do. Anyone looking at this girl would see she was tough.

Luke laughed lightly, and the sound lightly reverberated throughout the swamp. It made the place seem brighter, more welcoming. "Oh please," he said. "I can always tell when you're mad about something. Even when you're not extracting your vengeance from a stick." He crossed over to sit next to her, and gave her a serious look "Seriously, talk to me."

"This is bullshit," Thalia sighed. "We're being attacked by these monsters every step we take. They just keep coming. What's the goal? Is there even a point to all this?"

Luke retained his smile, but it was mixed with a bit of sadness now. I could see in his eyes, by the way he looked at Thalia, that he wanted her to be happy. It frustrated him, to see her upset. "Truth be told, Thalia, I have no clue what the hell we're doing," he responded. "I'm not sure if there's an endgame here...but I know I can't let anything happen to you."

Thalia gave him that dangerous glare I'd come to know. "I can take care of myself," she said with confidence.

"Not always," Luke countered. "Not every time. And neither can I. That's why we need to stick together, Thalia. We have to watch each other's backs. Like family."

"Family," repeated Thalia, uttering the word like it was a curse. "I don't even know what that means."

"Well, I'm not sure I know what it means, either….it's not as if my Mom was the type to throw me in the back of a minivan and cart me off to soccer practice," Luke joked. "But I think family….might look something like this." From his pocket, he produced two small stubs. "Pop Disaster tour. Blink-182 and Green Day together, tomorrow night."

"You're kidding me," Thalia said, as her eyes lit up with excitement. "No, you're not actually serious. How the hell did you even _get_ these? That tour was sold out before I left home."

"I've always had certain skills in...acquiring unavailable items," Luke said mischievously, laughing. "So I guess I've just got one more question for you," he said, looking straight at her.

She shook her head in disbelief. "And what would that be?"

" _Do you have the time…_ " he said in a singsong voice.

She looked at him in surprise. "No way."

" _To listen to me whine?"_ he belts out at the top of his lungs. I realize something right there and then. Luke was plenty of things, but he was not a singer. This is downright awful. But he continues anyway, oblivious to his own caterwauling.

" _About nothingggg and everything, all at once?"_

Thalia is laughing now, so hard she's gasping for air as she sits on her fallen log. Luke starts to dance obnoxiously, waving for her to join him, but she waves him off between her fits of laughter. After a few seconds, he grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet. They're both dancing now, and it's tough to watch. She joins him in singing;

" _I am one of those...melodramatic fools! Neurotic to the bone…"_

I watch from my vantage point as the two perform together. It's easy to see their ecstasy at such a happy moment. They must be constantly feeling some sort of anxiety, being so young, living on their own and fighting off monsters. Times like these don't come along often.

As the song begins to end, the two of them draw close to each other. By the end, they have their arms around each other, standing, as the fire quietly crackles. They both slowly return to reality, still laughing. I expect them to pull away, but neither makes any move. It's Thalia who speaks first.

"Thank you, Luke...for that. You're the only person who's ever given half a shit whether I'm happy or not." She reaches up, takes the back of his neck in her hands, and kisses him. He kisses her back.

My dream shifts into a different scene. Thalia sits alone, in one of the tents the Hunters use on expeditions. She's got her headphones in, but she's got the volume cranked way up and it's quiet in the tent. It's the same song she was singing with Luke all those years before, _Basket Case,_ by Green Day. The memory is clearly on her mind and she seems to have a mixture of anger and sadness on her face. No tears, just plenty of emotion.

Someone knocks on one of the poles that holds up the fabric of the tent, but between the music and her thoughts, Thalia doesn't notice. I hear a girl's voice lightly call her name from outside, but Thalia is still oblivious. The girl lifts the folds of the tent's opening and enters, looking concerned. Thalia has her back turned to the door, so she doesn't notice.

The girl is dressed like a Hunter, armed with a bow and wearing their silvery clothing. She looked like a soccer player, with her long sandy blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, and light blue eyes. Strikingly beautiful, she seemed to amplify all the light in the room, making everything brighter. She looked like one of those people that could easily cheer others up. I felt a twinge of sadness, because despite what this girl looked like, she reminded me of my mom.

"Thalia?" the girl says again. She strides across the tent, approaching her, probably to check that she was ok. She tapped Thalia's shoulders, which may not have been the best idea. Startled, Thalia spun around with a knife clutched in her hands.

"Woah, easy girl," the unknown Hunter said with a large smile. "Just checkin' to see if you're alive. If you're planning on stabbing me, we should probably call someone to make sure that knife of yours is sharp enough first." Thalia tried to glare at her, but her resolve crumbled and she smiled.

"You're such an idiot, Jen. Better be careful or I'll skewer you next time!"

I was smiling along with the two of them, but all the happiness drained straight from my body when I heard that name. I hadn't even met Jen before she passed away, never saw what she looked like. I could tell just from the ease of this conversation that these two were close.

"Oh, please don't go to the trouble, eh? I'll just do it myself and save you the nuisance of having to deal with such a _predicament_."

I should add that Jen had a headband on, one of those Lululemon things girls like. It was red, and had a white maple leaf in the center, positioned at the top of her head. Why anyone wanted to advertise that they had lived their entire life in a snowsuit, I'll never understand. She also spoke with a slight Canadian accent.

"What're you listening to, huh? Is it my boy JB? His new album is awesome and you know it." I was confused at who she meant, but thankfully she helped clear up the mystery by belting out the words to Justin Bieber's _Sorry: IS IT TOO LATE NOW TO SAY-"_

 _"_ Please for the love of the gods stop that right now," Thalia said quietly, but she was smiling. "That damn album is so catchy it drives me insane. I want to hate it, but I just can't."

"Hahaha, you know you love it, you big grump! Ok, not the Biebs? Maybe Simple Plan? You _did_ tell me you loved them. Pssst, they're Canadian by the way. Just in case you didn't know, which you should. Our music industry is _soooo_ better than yours is. I mean so is our healthcare...and everyone is nicer here….oh did I mention our legal drinking age is 19?"

Thalia groaned. I got the feeling this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. " _Actually,_ I was listening to Green Day. My favourite song of theirs, actually."

Jennifers eyes lit up, full of life. " _GIRL,_ play it! I wanna hear."

Thalia removed her headphones, playing the song through the speakers. Her face grew increasingly saddened as the song went on. By the end, she was like a thunderstorm without the lightning, her energy drained. After it ended, I was surprised to hear Jen laughing.

"That is literally the most angsty teen song I've ever heard. Except maybe that Nirvana song - _Smells Like Teen Spirit,_ right? You must have been the most miserable tree in existence."

Thalia returned the laughter. "I did know _several_ trees happier than I was. There was this one guy I knew, Professor Oak-"

"I bet you really _pined_ after him, didn't you?"

Thalia looked around in shock, as if she couldn't understand how this was happening. After recovering, she struck back, making her voice crack like a prepubescent teeny bopper. This was the Thalia I knew and loved. "Fir crying out loud, can you just leaf me alone, oakay?" Both girls started to laugh. My dream faded with the two of them beginning to laugh hysterically, as the tree puns got worse and worse.


	12. I Pull a Knife on My Best Friend

_**Annabeth POV**_

Chapter 11 - I Pull a Knife on My Best Friend

After Percy left, I told Chiron what had happened. He didn't seem surprised - I suppose monster attacks wouldn't be, to someone a few thousand years old. It just seemed like we might get a break after everything that had happened in the past few years. When I said so, Chiron gave me a dark look.

"Annabeth," he said, "this is the life of a demigod. It is unfortunate, but it is your reality. Your burden to bear. You of all people should understand that."

I just sighed. I _did_ understand. I guess I was just a little tired after so many years of living in constant (half?) mortal danger. I told Chiron we'd talk at dinner and left. Instead of joining my cabin with their afternoon activities, I spent the rest of the day in my cabin. Reconstruction work on Olympus had continued, with the gods having opened contact with us after defeating Gaea. In the past year, I hadn't even scratched the surface, despite the fact that I devoted every free moment I had to designing. Well, between it and spending time with Percy. But I didn't feel guilty about that in the slightest. Like John Lennon said, time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted.

My heart really wasn't into my work today. It didn't help that I was working on a new temple for Hera. Ugh, that goddess was insufferable. Unfortunately, when the gods put me in charge of the reconstruction effort, they meant the _entire_ process. I couldn't pick and choose which deities I worked for.

I heard the dinner conch sound. As I walked towards the pavilion, I noticed a sight that was initially confusing, then caused me more anxiety than any temple designs. Blackjack flew overhead, casually stretching his dark wings with the other pegasi. Percy was nowhere to be seen. He had promised to find me as soon as he got back, and that boy didn't break promises. Not to me.

"Maybe he just sent Blackjack home early," I think to myself. That must be it. There really was no other explanation. If Percy was in trouble, Blackjack would have came looking for me or someone to help. "Everything is fine," I insist to myself. So why did I have such a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach? I resolve to talk to Chiron after dinner. He would know what to do.

As I join Malcolm at the Athena table, I say nothing to anyone. He asks if I'm ok, but I brush him off, telling him I'm just tired. I don't want to worry anyone, I'm just overreacting. Dinner passes normally. Clarisse is still seething from her encounter with the Hermes cabin but thankfully she has the patience to keep a lid on her anger. That is, at least, until she finds out who the guilty ones are. I was looking forward to that.

Today is Friday, so we receive a special treat: dessert. Typically, Chiron keeps us off anything too unhealthy, because we need proper fuel to train. But, once a week, we get any kind of sugary food we want. For me, I'm in some serious need of some Ben and Jerry's. Nothing helps the case of a missing boyfriend like comfort food. I smile to myself, asking for Blue Fundae. Stupid kid had me hooked on blue food. Because we've eaten dessert, we're sent to bed a bit later than usual.

Chiron sees that everyone has finished their meals. "Campers," he begins, but is interrupted by the blast of horn, coming from the eastern hills. As figures mount the crest of the hill, campers begin reaching for weapons, unsure of what to expect. Everyone is still nervous from the Roman siege. But then I notice one of the figures reach out and touch Thalia's tree softly, as if they are intimately connected with it. I realize why the horn sounds familiar.

"Relax everybody!" I announce with a smile. "It's Thalia and the Hunters." I rise from my table to go welcome them. Thalia is my oldest friend and is basically the older sister I never had. I haven't seen her in _forever_ , and a reunion is in order.

My announcement doesn't exactly prompt a rousing cheer. The campers all respect the Hunters, and they've been our allies in the past, but a visit will probably mean a few friendly fistfights here and there. All fun and games, until someone gets an arrow in the eye.

As I reach Thalia I hold out my arms for a hug, but she pushes straight past me, into the pavilion. She sits at the Artemis table with the rest of the Hunters and I realize how rough they look. Several are limping, and Thalia has a large cut on her thigh, covered by a bloody, grimy bandage.

"Burger," she mutters, staring at her plate with menace, as if daring it to refuse her. Instantly a double cheeseburger appears. It's gone down her throat just as fast. She looks over at me.

"Sorry for the rough greeting," she says through the remains of the burger. "I'm hungry, and tired. Not a good combo."

I just laugh, knowing the feeling of returning from some quest or mission and just wanting to eat. "No worries girl, I get it. You guys look like you're in pretty rough shape. Monster attack?"

Thalia gives me a confused look. That's when I realize I haven't connected the dots. Percy leaving….I turn to the Poseidon table and only now notice Tyson sitting there, devouring his dinner.

"You mean you don't know?" asks a voice behind me. Nico does that thing where he seems to evaporate from the shadows. I'm overjoyed to see him, but his expression tells me I should feel otherwise. Something had happened.

"Tell me," I say quietly, looking directly at Thalia.

-LINE BREAK-

She describes the Hunter's recruitment trip, the attack from Cetus, and how Percy had attempted to draw the monster away from the ship. She tells me, tears forming in her eyes, about the new Hunter they lost - Jennifer. I've known Thalia long enough to tell she wasn't just some recruit, she clearly meant something to her. But I let Thalia continue. She describes how they got to dry land, and her argument with Percy. As she tells me what the two of them said to each other, I'm not surprised. I've known the two of them long enough to know, and their reactions are pretty much exactly how I predicted. But I'm no less angry by the time she's done.

At this point, I'm just worried about my boyfriend. What she said to him was clearly devastating. I've only ever seen him cry once... in Tartarus. When we were being attacked by _arae._ Thalia had, with just her words, brought him _that_ low.

"Thalia...that was the stupidest fuc-" I stop myself and take a deep breath. For one, I don't swear. In addition, I don't want to lose control of my emotions. Clearly, Thalia was grieving, looking for someone to blame. I'd just make the whole issue worse.

"Wait, don't tell me you're going to take _his_ side on this?" Thalia demanded. Her eyes were wide-open, and I could swear I saw lightning flash within them.

"Of course I am," I say calmly, trying to keep my voice steady. "He has nothing to answer for. He's always protected his friends, us included. We'd both probably be dead if it weren't for him," I conclude, putting some force into my words.

Thalia loses it. I don't think I've ever seen her this angry before, she's always seemed so relaxed and in control. Her rant is full of hurt, full of passion, her movements random and erratic. She screams at me, and I can hear the betrayal in her voice. Here, the cool and collected Thalia Grace, breaking down in front of me. I realize what this is about. It's got nothing to do with me, or even Percy for that matter. It's Luke. And to a lesser extent, this Jennifer girl.

"Thalia, you can't blame Percy for what's happened. I know you're upset, but-"

"Shut up, Annabeth!" she cuts in. "You don't know anything. Luke was...he was my entire fucking world before you came along! Oh sure, you pretended to care. Until perfect little _Jackson_ took an interest. Then you...you rejected him. When he needed you the most, you rejected him."

I'm frozen by shock. I'd never seen this side of Thalia before. I knew grief does nasty things to people, but this...this was different. To say that I didn't care about Luke made no sense. For years after he'd betrayed us, I'd held out hope when everyone else gave up. Thalia's cutting words have broken my resolve.

"You...watch...your damn mouth," I growl. "You have no idea-"

"That _what?"_ Thalia interrupts. "That you really did _care_ about him? See, it's funny to me. We were a _family,_ the three of us. Luke knew that. That's why he fought off Kronos, in the end. But clearly when Luke came to you for help, in San Francisco, that didn't matter to you! _Family_ didn't matter to you." My vision blurs, turning red at the edges. I pull out my new pen, switching it into knife form.

"Oh," says Thalia sarcastically, "replace Luke's knife? Just like you replaced him, right?"

I run straight at her, and someone tries to stop me, Jason I think. He grabs me, but I spin, and punch him square in the jaw with every ounce of force I have. I see Hunters nock arrows, pointing them at me, but Thalia just sits calmly at her table, waiting. It's all happening so fast now, my adrenaline is pumping as I advance towards her. Then something enters my mind, cutting through the fog. Just a single word. _Family._

If Luke couldn't hurt me on Olympus, then I have no right to attack Thalia like this. As I stand, watching her, I realize something else. Thalia was right, to an extent. I abandoned Luke when he needed me the most. I guess that's why the words stung so much. Well, I wasn't going to do that again. Thalia was hurting, badly. And I had to stop turning my back on family when they needed me.

I look straight into those powerful blue eyes of hers, and I think she sees something change in my face, telling her I don't want to fight. That I understand what's going on in her head. I wipe away my tears, and inhale deeply. "C'mon Thalia, we've got a lot to talk about it."


	13. I Talk With Old Friends (Part 1)

_**Hello everybody. This chapter is going to wrap up the doom-and-gloom portion of the book, so look forward to bad puns and happy times. Also, I realize that some of Percy's thoughts here are illogical, but they're meant to be. He's not in a proper state of mind, and I'm attempting to reflect that.**_

I Talk with Old Friends (Part 1)

 _ **Percy POV**_

When I woke up in my cabin, it was still dark. Rolling over to check the time, the clock read 3 a.m. But he couldn't stay in his bed. Not after the last nightmare. He had to stay awake. It would mean that the faces in his mind, while they would never go away, could only stare at him accusingly. They couldn't speak to him, reinforcing his guilt. I decided to go for a walk, and headed towards the beach. Maybe the pain would be more bearable there.

As I walked, I realized how dark it was tonight. Typically, Camp Half-Blood's magical borders left clear skies. But this was different. I couldn't even see the moon, let alone the stars. My black mood seemed to pollute the surrounding environment. It left me feeling very alone, which was perfectly with me - the alternative was staring up at the constellation of Zoe Nightshade. That would just be one more face in my mind.

When I reached the beach, for the first time in my life, my mood worsened. The impenetrable darkness, combined with a thick fog, meant that I couldn't even get a clear look at the sea. I could hear it though, and sensed it's restlessness. Angry waves struck the beach, creating a deep boom, rocking the shoreline. Far in the distance, thunder seemed to echo the sea's unhappiness.

I sat down on one of the dunes. The waves and wind battered me, but I didn't move. It felt good, as the constant noise distracted me from my thoughts. I didn't bother trying to keep myself dry, so I was soaked to the skin. It was freezing, but I secretly hoped that the numbing sensation in my fingers would spread throughout the rest of my body. I paused for a moment as I considered that this might be a fraction of what Nico felt like all the time. And apparently I'd only added to his troubles, according to Jason. What the fuck is wrong with me? How have I never realized what I've been doing to people? When I start to think about it, I'd only ever been a burden to my loved ones.

When we were twelve, Grover had been forced to take care of me, as a protector. I'd run off on him, and it almost got the two of us killed, along with my mother. If I had just waited for him like he'd asked, we would have reached Camp safely. Then, he wouldn't have had to deal with the shame of failure, thinking he had not protected her properly. He'd blamed himself, but really, it was my fault.

And my mom….not only did she spend time as Hades' prisoner, she'd spent years living with Gabe, which was basically a prison in itself. She'd had to work her ass off for years to provide for me, and I'm pretty sure Gabe had hit her, more than once. She'd put her life on hold for me, she could have written her book years ago. Or met a guy like Paul when she was young, rather than spending a decade married to Smelly Ugliano.

My relationship with Annabeth really wasn't all that different. If I wasn't around, she'd probably have graduated college as a full-fledged engineer by now. She'd constantly had to stop and explain everything to me because I'm so fucking stupid. Not to mention, she'd been in danger multiple times when my enemies hoped to use her as bait, like Luke did two and a half years ago. She'd had to bear the weight of the sky. That was on me.

I didn't even begin to list the all the times she'd been hurt because of my failings, although taking a poison knife for me last summer was definitely the worst case. I should be able to fucking defend myself. I'm a liability to everyone around me, and if I really cared about any of them I'd get as far away as possible and never come back.

But I knew that would never work. Annabeth would hunt for me to the ends of the earth - she'd proved that this year. But if I were gone for good…. I stared into the darkness of the sea, and made my decision.

It's not as if anyone needed me anymore. Kronos and Gaea had been defeated. Grover was busy enough with the Council, and maybe even getting a family started with Juniper. My mom would work on her book, and hopefully live out her days with Paul. And Annabeth...she had the brightest future if I wasn't included. She was going to become the greatest architect who ever lived, so long as I wasn't there holding her down. I stepped into the surf.

I was already soaked and freezing, so I didn't even notice the water initially. I took step after step. With waves like these like these, I just had to concentrate on stemming my powers to breathe underwater. The current would do the rest. It was only a few moments before I was submerged, and the ocean began to push and pull my body in different directions. Down was up. Up was down. I had no sense of anything. Pure bliss. " _Finally,"_ I thought to myself.

But suddenly everything stopped. The water was still as glass. There was a huge vibration and an eruption of bubbles from the sea floor. They pushed me, and for a moment I wasn't sure if I was headed to the surface or the depths of Long Island Sound. But then I was catapulted outward from the water, launched through the air, landing face-first on the beach. I had barely landed when a voice spoke in my mind.

"I will not pretend to understand what you are experiencing," said my father. "Perhaps I cannot stop you from….acting on your feelings. But you will _never_ taint my domain with the blood of my pride and joy. I will not stand for such an abomination." His anger was clear to me, from his tone. But the sea remained in its tranquil state. "I am sending those who may be able to talk some sense into you," Poseidon stated with a finality in his voice.

I didn't have much time to think about it. The mist seemed to collect, concentrating itself into two humanoid figures which approached me, gliding over the surface of the water. As they grew closer, their features sharpened, becoming more defined. Upon reaching the shore, Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard stood before me, with adjoined hands. They both smiled, but their eyes betray their sadness.

"No," I mutter. "No, no, no, no…" I start to stalk up the the dunes. I can't do this. I can't face them. Especially not tonight.

Beckendorf tries to speak. "Percy-"

"No!" I cut in. "I'm not….I can't deal with this!" I'm still walking away, but the two figures appear in front of me now, blocking my path.

Silena looks as though she is on the verge of tears now. "Percy, please...we have to talk to you. This is important." Her expression stops me. I've never seen her so upset, except perhaps after Charlie died. But this is different. There's no tears. It's not just sadness, it's...concern. I sigh and flop down onto the sand, into a sitting position. Standing is just one more challenge I can't face right now.

"Percy, what you just did…" Beckendorf's expression is almost identical to Silena's, which surprises me. It didn't quite fit, an alien set of features which did not match with the big, burly smith I had come to know. He was tough, but not exactly great with feelings - just like his father. Or so I thought.

"You need to stop blaming yourself," Silena says to me. There's something new in her voice. Determination. "Charlie and I, we made our choices in life. We died to protect our camp and our friends. That has nothing to do with you, it never has and never will."

I'm stung by the sharpness of her words. I'd always known Silena as kind and gentle. But I suppose something about this whole scene had brought out something in her. Her tone cut through me like a scalpel, as if she was reopening scabs that had become infected sometime during the healing process.

Beckendorf kneels in front of me. I have my head hung, but he raises my chin so that I'm staring directly into his eyes. He places his other hand on my shoulder.

"Perce, listen to me. That day, on the _Princess Andromeda,_ you know what I was thinking about?" He paused, and motioned to Silena. "Her, and the rest of the camp. What I was dying _for._ I did what I did because of this place." We're standing at the top of the dune, and he casts his arms out behind him. You can barely see the camp because of the darkness, but torches light up some areas.

"And now I get to spend the rest of eternity with her," Beckendorf continues. "That's all I could ever ask for myself. But I'm _gone,_ Percy. And so is Silena, and Ethan, Luke, and all the others. Even you will be eventually. But in the meantime...Camp Half-Blood, and everyone in it, need to be protected. I can't do that anymore - but _you_ can. And you're the best we've got." He smiles, and his eyes fall for a moment. But he raises them again.

"The _people_ here, they should be your reason to stay. You're a demigod Percy! There will always be monsters to fight. Gaea and Kronos being gone...that doesn't change anything. If you think for a heartbeat that Grover, Annabeth, Nico, Piper...that any of them are safe now, think _again._

I didn't move. My knees are up to my chest, and I sit for a long while after Beckendorf finishes. I wasn't sure what to think. The faces...I still couldn't get them out of my head. Charlie was right, I had a duty to protect the camp. But I couldn't keep living like this, with the ghosts of the past whispering in my ear day and night.

"We have to go, Percy," Silena says quietly. It felt wrong to let them leave without saying anything to them.

"You both deserved better," I mutter.

For the first time in what feels like years, I hear laughter. Beckendorf's booming chuckles echo in the night. "Better than an eternity with a daughter of Aphrodite?" he says. "You must think pretty highly of my Percy."

A hint of a smile forces it's way onto my face. I can't help but feel happy for these two. With the insane world we lived in, a relationship like theirs was tough to find. "You deserved each other," I correct myself. They both smile back at me, but then they're gone, and the fog dissipates.


	14. I Talk With Old Friends (Part 2)

I Talk With Old Friends (Part 2)

 _ **Percy POV**_

The encounter has, for a fleeting moment, brought me partially out of the pit. But as soon as Charlie and Silena are gone I feel my guilt rushing back. The absence of a distraction prompts the invasion of my mind by the familiar faces, which come so clearly to me now.

A voice behind me makes me jump. "Percy," it says. I spin around to see Luke. Or at least...a shadow of what Luke should be. He is standing only a few feet away, but his image seems to flicker in and out, as if he is not entirely here. While his clothes remain the same as they were in my dream earlier, he no longer carries a sword. His eyes are fixated on the spot where Charlie and Silena were standing, and he looked exhausted. His shoulders were slumped, and he appeared thoroughly defeated.

"This isn't a dream," he says to me, as if reading my mind. He averts his gaze away from where the ghostly figures disappeared. "Do you mind if I sit?" he asks. I say nothing, so he makes his way over to me. When he sits down, he gives a great sigh of relief, as if this is the first rest he's had in a long time. It reminded me of when I had a talk with Hermes on this same beach when I was 13. The thought made me even more sad. Just another promise I'd failed to keep.

For a while, me and Luke sit in the dunes. The wind is roaring, but the ocean remains smooth, as if it is the middle of winter and it has frozen solid. Not even the smallest ripple disturbs the surface. Finally, my old rival breaks the silence.

"I see them too, you know," he says, staring at the vast blackness of the ocean which lays before us. He seems to almost yearn to enter it, as I had. "The faces," he clarifies, after a lengthy pause.

I stare at him. "But you're just-"

"A ghost, I know," he interrupts. "Don't ask me to explain it. I just do. Charlie, Silena...all the demigods that died because of me. It's a long list, Percy. Much longer than yours."

"It's not a competition, Luke," I begin to growl.

"I know that!" He quickly responds with an angry tone in his voice. "But it's something to think about. In all the quests you've completed, all the battles you've fought...you've been lucky."

" _Lucky?!"_ I stand in rage. "How the _hell_ am I lucky? Those people that are gone, that's because of _me._ They're dead because _I_ failed! How does that make me lucky? Please, explain, Luke. I'd love to hear your brilliant _fucking_ explanation!"

I'm shaken to my core. I had led myself to believe that Luke was better than this. "What the _fuck_ are you even saying, Luke? My life...it has an acceptable casualty rate? That's fucking _evil._ That's how a ton of people get killed, unnecessarily."

He looks back at me, lips pressed tightly together. His eyelids are twitching, as if if he is being bathed in lava, but refuses to cry out.

"All I'm trying to say, Percy, is that when Kronos….well, when _I_ attacked Manhattan, there were going to be casualties, no matter what. The only variable was how many. So...if you hold yourself responsible for every death, ok, fine. But by that logic, you're also responsible for every demigod that made it out alive. And that doesn't just apply to New York. It counts for every dangerous situation you've encountered with your friends over the years. When you start to think about it...you've saved a lot of lives Percy. A hell of a lot more than I ever did, that's for sure.

"That doesn't mean I'm innocent Luke. Like you said, I was responsible for those people getting hurt. Just because I saved some...that doesn't help my case. 'One good deed does not wash out the good, nor the bad the good.'

Luke looks at me inquisitively. "Who said that? I've never heard it before."

"It's just from a T.V. show," I reply, feeling too beat-down to explain. Then Luke says something that has never occurred to me.

"Percy...do you ever think that maybe these feelings you've been having...and the dreams...that it's all in your head?"

My eyes narrow looking back at him. "Well of course it's all in my head, they're dreams and emotions. Where else would they come from?"

"Not what I meant," Luke sighs. "These dreams you had tonight...with me, and Bianca. Everyone who's died. The guilt _you_ feel. That's just it. You feel it, because it's coming from within you. Not from everyone else. Bianca and I don't blame you for what happened. No one does. Maybe this guilt...it's just a manifestation of your own feelings, that it's just you. These dreams are just the mind creating visions of how _you_ feel. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the truth.

Right then, I realized something. Luke was much smarter than he looked. But I was still in an awful mood, and I didn't want to accept what he was saying, so I chose not to respond.

"Maybe I'm wrong," Luke continues. "But what I _do_ know is that I'm happy you're here, now. You'll be able to protect Annabeth, hopefully for the rest of your lives." He smiles down at me as he stands. "Will you keep my promise to her, Percy? About family? If anyone can, it's you."

"I already do that," I grunt back at him "But thanks for the killer life advice. Oh and by the way, I'm pretty sure you're not Bianca, the last time I checked. You never even met her. So don't act like you knew her, or how she feels. Felt."

Luke keeps smiling at me, and it's strange, but it seems genuine. As if it isn't motivated by the success of a Titan Lord, but by Luke actually being happy. I haven't seen it in a long time.

"You don't believe me?" he asks. "Funny...I have a feeling you'll find out pretty soon." As I watch, the shadows seem to embrace him. But it's nothing like the whole son-of-Hades thing Nico does. The darkness wraps itself around him, like a cloak. When it reaches his head, his face disappears. And then he's gone. I was alone once again. But apparently not for long.

From the sky, I notice a dim circular glow. It's the moon trying to penetrate the veil of shadow which covers the sky. The light grows stronger, and eventually reveals a full moon, radiating a silver glow. It illuminates the ground below, exposing the features of my surroundings. It's funny how you begin to notice things, when you can see clearly.

The moon, standing out against the darkness, was for a moment isolated in it's brightness. But as it's light continued to spread, the glow of each individual star was revealed. As the sky became pin-pricked with these jewels of the universe, I began to see with ever-increasing clarity. In only a few moments, the sky reclaimed its natural brilliance

My eyes remained fixated on a specific point. My old friend, Zoe. Upon her brow, a circlet had rested in life, as it had lingered in death. A star set perfectly in the center of the royal band was glowing fiercely, far more than it's neighbours.

In an instant, the star seemed to burst forth, as if it had laboured to imprison a great strength which it could no longer contain. Beautiful white light seemed to tumble outward, nearly matching the luminance of the moon itself. It continued to spread, growing nearer and nearer by the second. Then, it focused itself into a column about 4 feet in diameter, striking the ground like some sort of weird UFO. A figure stepped out. Her eyes and hair were as dark as the depths of the ocean, and her olive-coloured skin reinforced her regal features. A bow was strapped to her back, and a silver circlet rested atop her head.


	15. I Talk With Old Friends (Part 3)

_**Hi everybody. Hope you all enjoy this portion of the story. I tried my best to get Zoe's whole "thou/thee/thy" deal but it's probably not perfect. As I promised, brighter days ahead! I'll probably take a short break while I put together a more detailed version of where I want the story to go. In all honesty I think this chapter is trash but if you enjoyed it please leave a review.**_

I Talk With Old Friends (Part 3)

 _ **Percy POV**_

"Greetings, Perseus, old friend," said Zoe.

I was too surprised to answer. Not because of her entrance, gods no. Her spirit coming down to visit me, via the beams of light created from her constellation? That was nothing special. But in all honesty, I'd been expecting (and secretly hoping for) Bianca.

It's not that I had anything against Zoe. But I felt as though I desperately needed Bianca's approval right now; her comforting words. For her to release me from the shackles of shame which seemed to constrain me to a gloomy hole in the ground, far below the surface.

"I was not who you were expecting," Zoe said with confidence in her voice, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"It's just...what Luke said…" I reply quietly.

"I'm sure she would like to have seen thee," Zoe says. "However, as Nico has discovered, Bianca chose the path of reincarnation. Thus, her spirit no longer exists in the Underworld, as it has been reborn in the body of another. One who you will meet one day, I might add."

I'm stunned into silence. But Zoe continues.

"Hades and Artemis have allowed me here tonight, Peseus...thy struggle has not gone unnoticed. The gods have long wondered when this day would come. After struggling for so long….particularly after thy trials in Tartarus….

She falls silent. Her eyes fall to the ground, and I know she is imagining being there herself. After a moment, Zoe allows herself a deep breath as she recomposes herself.

"I am here to recondition thy perception," she says with a look of cold sobriety.

"Recon my perca-what?" I respond sheepishly. It's much too late and these words are much too large. "Damn it Zoe, speak English," I mutter.

"I need some _dam_ English!" she exclaims with a smile, leaning back while she points to me with both fingers, like she's just made the zinger of the century.

"You still don't get it," I retort with a serious tone, shaking my head. It's a statement, not a question, but there's a hint of a smile playing on my lips.

"Unfortunately not," Zoe sighs. "Recondition thy perception," she repeats. "Thy perception, the way you see things, is askew….ah, let's say _clouded."_ Her word choice is a response to my dissatisfied facial expression.

"Perseus, do you remember when you first discovered your godly ancestry? When someone explained to thee how the Mist works on the minds of mortals?"

I'm confused, not seeing how it relates, but I nod my head.

"The Mist," Zoe resumes, "is not the only force which may alter the way in which a person sees the world. Surely, it is the most powerful, yet there are others. The feelings you have now, lying dormant in thy mind, have been brought to the surface after thy argument with Thalia today.

"Still not following," I said.

"Look around thee," Zoe motions, using her arms to indicate our surroundings. "Before, the darkness covered everything. Unable to see the land, you were forced to take extra care, else stumble and fall. Now, you are able to see clearly. The darkness does not hinder thy progress."

"What does that have to do with my feelings?" I ask, though I am beginning to notice that Zoe is on to something. My mood has improved after the cosmos' beautiful display.

" _Everything_ ," Zoe retorts passionately. "Imagine the world is thy mind. Today, it has been obscured, covered in a blanket of shade. But Luke's words to thee...they are the light. Finally, you are beginning to understand. It is not the blame of others which encumbers you so. It is thy own guilt, which has come from within. This darkness...it is of thy own making. Thus, only you can banish it entirely. Only you can break the shackles, and rise from the gloomy hole."

I laugh. "So, what, you're reading my mind now?"

She returns my smile. "If I had the ability to read your mind, perhaps I would understand those _dam_ jokes you love so much."

I have to roll my eyes, thinking about it. That stupid joke wasn't even complicated. Like c'mon Zoe, get with the program, you've had two and half years to figure this out.

"I understand how you feel," Zoe continues, breaking the short silence. "After Bianca died...I held myself responsible. However, Bianca visited me in the afterlife. She knew how I felt, and we discussed the quest. She wanted me to know that I was blameless in her eyes. As were thee," she concluded, regarding me with emotion-filled eyes.

"So….you don't blame yourself anymore?" I ask, with a touch of hope creeping into my voice. "You don't feel guilty?"

Zoe pauses thoughtfully, carefully considering her answer. "I will not deny that the matter often plagues my mind. However, now I recognize that the fault was not mine alone. The prophecy preordained death; if not Bianca, another demigod would have been taken. And I could not wish that fate upon any of thee. Her forgiveness meant that I could co-exist with the pain, even if it remained within me."

I paused to consider. But Zoe was not finished.

"And it would be wrong for the pain to fade entirely, Perseus," she says, her voice cracking slightly. "For that would mean forgetting the sacrifice. I believe you can and _must_ continue to carry that load. Too many people rely on thee, in more ways than one."

I inhale deeply. It's as if the weight of the sky has been lifted from my shoulders all over again. Zoe's words exposed me to something that I desperately needed. A way to live, after so many had died.

"I never knew you were such a sap, Zoe," I say, chortling.

She wipes the tears from her eyes as she laughs. "Actually, I believe the title of _sap_ should go to Thalia,"

After taking in what she's said, I'm doubled over laughing. Actually, we both are. Together, we're just a couple of stupid teenagers, laughing at a bad tree pun. It's not even that great of a joke, but coming from the ever-proper, robotic Zoe Nightshade, it's infinitely better. As I laugh, the world starts to become a little brighter. I live for moments like these. How could I have ever thought about abandoning this world? There's too much here I still care about.

After a solid five minutes of laughing, I feel much better. This time, it's me rubbing at my eyes. It's just been too much, this day. It floods out of me in that fit of hilarity, like the light coming from Zoe's star. Eventually, we recover, gasping for breath.

"Thank you, Zoe," I say, wheezing for breath. "Honestly, what you said…." he stopped. He'd never been very good with words. But he could tell by her expression that she understood.

"You are welcome, Perseus," she said. "I look forward to watching thee live a long, happy life, with Annabeth."

"Oh, you approve?" I replied with a mischievous smile. "Abandon the 'ol Hunter values, have we?"

"I would never….Annabeth and thee are on the short list of relationships which I approve of. Aside from the two of you, only the Obamas, the Curry's -"

"Romeo and Juliet?" Percy cut in.

" _Absolutely not!"_ Zoe yelled in exasperation. "Did you even _read_ the book?"

I just looked at her for a few seconds without saying a word. "Of course you didn't," she sighed, rolling her eyes at me. " _Typical."_

I notice that the sky is becoming brighter now, as Zoe's star begins to grow more brightly. Zoe glanced up, and her expression again became tinged with sadness.

"I must leave, Percy. Artemis calls me back."

I only nod, and take a few steps back. The silvery-white beam returns, bathing Zoe in a column which spans into infinity. Then she's gone, and the night returns to normal. Everything, that is, except for the radiant constellations which decorate the heavens, presenting to me the infinite possibilities of the long life to come.

I hear voices calling my name, and turn to see Annabeth, Thalia, Nico, and Grover. They all look drained, and I can tell they've been out looking for me all night. Annabeth catches my eye, and pure relief slides over her face.

Only then do I realize what I must have done to her. It's like last year when I disappeared, all over again. She must have been worried sick. I try to apologize as she runs over to me, but I'm cut short when she tackles me, knocking the breath out of my lungs. My shirt begins to feel slightly damp as sobs into my chest. My friends only watch from a comfortable distance.

I initially expected her to be angry, to yell at me and generally just think I'm an idiot. Which would have been totally fair. Instead, she doesn't say anything, refusing to pull away from me. So I hold her in our embrace. Eventually, I sit on top of the dunes, but no words are necessary. Together, the five of us watch the sun rise over the valley. And I know that the best days are ahead.


End file.
